Enemies to lovers, magic typewriters, an atmosphere evocative of WWI. I thoroughly enjoyed this one! I would like a bit more background on the gods and their war, perhaps we'll see some of that in Book Two? Overall, excellent.

Rebecca Ross just knows how to reach into your chest and grab you by the soul. This book was lyrical, haunting, and beautiful even as it deftly handles the horrors of war and loss. I loved Iris and Roman both individually and together, and the dual POV narrative braided them together so well that when that slow burn finally paid off I was on the edge of my seat. I loved how joy in moments of heartbreak and devastation were highlighted here along with the world building (so strong! I felt like I was there with them) and the role of storytelling and myths in propelling the narrative and pushing Iris and Roman together.

Once again, Rebecca Ross has completely blown me away. I read A River Enchanted in January of last year, and it ended up being my favorite book of the year. I feel like it’s gonna be the same with this beautiful book right here this year.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I had the chills throughout most of this book. I highlighted lines for the first time ever, because the writing is just gorgeous and I can’t even put into words how much I loved these characters. I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS BOOK! I’ll be impatiently waiting for more in this series and will be ordering a physical copy as soon as it’s released.
Thank you NetGalley for the digital advanced reader copy.

Rebecca Ross has yet again enthralled me with one of her stories. She is fantastic at the slow burn and just a general slower pace that doesn’t become boring. While the setting and time are fictional, the tone gave me WWI vibes with the trenches and war front. The concept of a war between gods and the magic of the letters while still being very realistic in other ways gave it the story magical realism. The book is dual point of view between Roman and Iris.

Iris and Roman are quite a pair and the slow burn, epistolary build of their romance was so well done. The ending is gut wrenching and while I have some theories about where the author will take these two, I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here.

I received an advanced copy of the ebook and audiobook from NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts.

Romantic Content: Brief, vague open door

Rebecca Ross does it again- she has truly become one of my new favorite authors. I love the way she approaches enemies to lovers, which is gently, more grounded in growing understanding than true animosity. I’m glad that this will be a series because Ross has set a stage of personal stakes as well as divine stakes, human love against a Gods war, and the world deserves more time to unfold. Ross is an incredible writer. This is a great read for fans of found family, storytelling, letter writing, playing out like Ross’s other novel A River Enchanted, in a place that feels long ago but also out of time. It is a great read for lovers of fantasy and non-fantasy readers alike.

I fell in love with Rebecca Ross's writing early in 2022 when I read A River Enchanted. It became my first five start year of that year, and I've made it my duty to get through her older books and newer as this year moves forward. Well, I read Divine Rivals in less than twenty four hours, and I can honestly say it was worth the marathon. It's not that I didn't think Rebecca would wrench my soul in half, but I am still surprised with how much this book affected me.

For starters, Divine Rivals is a historical fantasy that's reminiscent of World War I. The gods of this world are warring, and the mortals are stuck in the crosshairs. Eighteen year old Iris Winnow dropped out of high school to start working at her local newspaper office, and now she's competing for the columnist promotion against her rival Roman Kitt. But at home Iris is relentlessly worrying about her alcoholic mother, and her brother Forest who ran off to war without any explanation and has not sent her a single letter like he promised to. Although, Iris continues to write him on her grandmother's typewriter, and those those letters mysteriously vanish—hopefully to her brother.

Well, the letters don't arrive to Forest and, instead, appear in the hands of Roman—said rival at her work.

Divine Rivals continues to unravel the story of Iris and Roman along with their mysteriously linked/ magical typewriters. Books about writing always snag my attention, but this one felt specifically raw and bittersweet. The love of not only the leads but their loved ones is a punch to the gut, and I saw my own family and friends reflected in the words Rebecca wrote. The yearning between Iris and Roman in particular was torturously beautiful, and I loved every minute of it. The ending for them both has left a hole in my heart, and Rebecca, it better get sewn up in the sequel. I don't think I can handle much more!

The most surprising part of this book actually lies with the setting. I read a lot of fantasy, but it is very rare to find a modern version of it that is not set within our own world. Divine Rivals specifically takes tons of inspiration from WWI, in my opinion, from the typewriting communication to trench/ gas warfare. The history buff within me was transferred back to my college days where I listened to lectures on the war, and I vividly saw all of the war scenes Iris experienced. There's something especially terrifying about WWI because of the gas and trench weaponry. When Rebecca describes the rolling gas coming towards us, my own throat felt pinched like a straw, mouth as dry as the Sahara. I'm both dreading and excited for Rebecca to show us more of this war in the sequel.

Now I saw Rebecca described this book as her first YA focusing on romance, even called it romantasy, and she excelled. I'm not a big romantasy fan, but if more of them are like this, then, I need to batten down the hatches and devour them ASAP. Divine Rivals was just a reminder that I'm a sucker for Rebecca's writing in any genres, any form. I'm really hoping the wait for this sequel will not be too terribly long because that ending, like I said before, HURT.

My only gripe with this book was the sprinkling of crumbs when it came to knowledge about the gods. Now I know based off of the end that Rebecca was withholding that information for a reason, but I was curious throughout the entire book leading up to that moment what the gods themselves had to do with this story. I'm VERY excited for the sequel just because the gods will finally be unveiled to us. It's gonna be great!

4.5 stars rounded up. I went into this expecting a cute rivals-to-lovers fantasy story and was not prepared for how emotionally devastating it would be (in the best possible way, of course). Rebecca Ross really takes the reader through every possible emotion, including hope, grief, longing, love, fear, a bit of laughter as well as sadness. It's a difficult balance to strike so that the darkness of the story doesn't become overwhelming, but Ross nails it.

There are so many layers to this story and each one is equally compelling. The story starts out with Iris and Kitt competing for the columnist position at their newspaper. Everyone around them realizes that they have feelings for each other, but neither recognizes it themselves. At night, Iris is struggling to deal with her alcoholic mother's downward spiral and "sends" letters to her brother -- a soldier in a war between two gods (similar to Greek mythology) who went missing -- by placing the letters in her wardrobe where they magically disappear. Those letters end up in Kitt's room through magic that is later revealed. Kitt starts to write back without revealing his identity, and the two begin to fall for each other based on their words.

The story shifts dramatically when Iris experiences a traumatic upheaval (to avoid spoilers) and decides to become a war correspondent to hopefully locate her missing brother. At the front lines, Iris learns the realities of wartime life and sees firsthand the impact it has on those involved. The traumas Iris and Kitt experience as wartime correspondents, both from their personal experiences as well as the soldiers and affected civilians around them, are counterbalanced by the seeds of hope that they see in the world. The powerlessness of those in the path of the war between two gods who don't care about the fate of the humans caught in the middle becomes clear, so they learn quickly that they must embrace happiness where they can find it. Although this is loosely inspired by WWI (trench warfare, etc.), the themes here resonate in any time period.

Fair warning: The story ends of an extremely dramatic and gutwrenching cliffhanger. I can't wait to read what happens next and am so sad we have to wait another year to find out!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

I love Rebecca Ross ability to tell a story and have you completely immersed in the world and it feels familiar even though you have never been there before.
This book felt familiar but not like something I recently picked up and rear.
I loved the whit and charm both Iris and Kitt had. I loved the side characters and how they started developing.
I am very excited to see where this duology leads and am so excited to learn more about these Gods and their myths.
I also NEED a magical typewriter  asap!

I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley. But all the opinions are my own.

WOOW!!! I adore Divine Rivals. I absolutely love Rebecca Ross's books. I have not found one of her books that I didn't fall in love with. Just for a short summary. Divine Rivals is about two rivaling journalists. That is all I am going to say because there is so much to this world and the characters I really don't want to chance giving anything away.

My heart is completely crushed because this definitely will have a sequel and I will have to wait for it. I cannot stop thinking about this book or the characters. The world was so fleshed out and very unique. I feel like this is such a fresh book. I haven't read anything like it in a long time. I do have to say I got lost in the atmosphere and I am not mad about it.

This is one of those books you just go along for the ride and just enjoy what is happening. I will recommend this book to everyone. You need to pick this up! NEEED!

I will buy this instantly and if there is special editions I will buy them too. I think this is going to be my top read of 2023 and it is just February.

I could not put down this enchanting yet heart wrenching book!

It started off a little slow but I just knew it was going to be great by the writing style. The characters are rich and I found myself connecting with them right away.

I would recommend Divine Rivals to anyone who loves a slow build love story and historical fiction. I kept thinking this was real life!

Divine Rivals is a historical fantasy based in the fictional city of Oath. Though a time frame is not explicitly set, we appear to be taken back to the mid 1900’s, where we find Iris Winnow saying goodbye to her older brother Forest who has been called by the goddess Enva to come fight for her against the god of the Underworld, Dacre. Missing her brother fiercely, Iris tries to get back into the swing of things working for the local paper. She seeks relief from her overwhelming emotions by irritating her professional enemy, Roman C. Kit, as well as writing letters to her brother that mysteriously disappear when she places them in their shared wardrobe. Iris assumes the letters could be magically finding their way to Forest… after all, they live in a world where magic can be found tucked away in old homes and dark corners, but she never receives a reply. Not until, after having sent several letters through the wardrobe for weeks, she gets back a disturbing response: “I am not Forest.” Rather than becoming afraid, Iris is more curious as to who she could have been writing to all this time, and why they chose now to admit they are not who she thought.

The two strangers pass their typewriter correspondence back and forth, finding comfort in each other's words during this time of brewing war. However, unforeseen circumstances take place and drive Iris to make the rash decision to give up her dreams of making columnist at the paper and run off to write headlines on the warfront. She says goodbye to her mysterious penpal, whom she has grown to care for, and leaves Oath behind. But, she will find that some problems and some people cannot be left behind so easily, and they will follow her to the battlefield.

I enjoyed this first in Rebecca Ross’ upcoming series Iris at the Front, and though Iris is our main character, I have to say that I became more attached to Roman’s story. I am looking forward to the next book!

Rebecca Ross can do no wrong in my mind. Once again she has created two characters who I want to protect with my life, and the secret pen pals, rivals to lovers storyline is absolute perfection. I am obsessed, and will be thinking about Iris and Roman for a long time. The worldbuilding of Rebecca’s books is always exquisitely beautiful, and this one is no different. It feels like a unique blend of fantasy and historical elements, with romantic comedy beats mixed in as well. If you opened a random page of the book you might think you were reading a story set in WWII England. The parallels are close enough to feel familiar, but with interesting fantastical elements woven in, like horrific monsters dropping bombs instead of planes, for instance. There is an interesting lore and mythology to the world without it being overwhelming. I thoroughly enjoyed Divine Rivals and will be anxiously awaiting book two!

Iris is a struggling writer for the local newspaper in Oath, who is competing with Roman for the next promotion to Columnist. With her brother at war with the risen gods, and her mother turned to alcoholism she doesn't have much left besides her work. That is until she starts a letter exchange with a mysterious and unknown individual by magically sending letters via her wardrobe. She kindles a friendship with her pen pal and starts to find new meaning in her life - unbeknownst to her, the secret writer is her nemesis Roman,

I couldn't get into this book, very slow and lacking much direction at the start. However, once Iris becomes a war correspondent the book becomes far more interesting. Don't love that it ends on a cliffhanger Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC

I absolutely loved this book. The world building was creative and unique. I loved the rivalry between the two main characters. This book contains action, adventure, romance. I can’t wait until the sequel comes out.

One of my most anticipated reads and I'm so glad it was a 5 star read for me!

There will be some spoilers ahead, but I will try not to give too much away.

I thought both characters were charming in their interactions both through face to face and with ink and paper. There were moments of sadness which I did tear up about, but there were moments of love as well. Familial love, platonic love, and of course romantic love. I adored the fantasy in this world, the legends and myths about the gods, and especially the magical typewriters which both of the main characters posses. I just felt cozy reading about Iris and her journey from working at a job that she wanted desperately to love, but was overcome with grief and worry about her missing brother Forest. With her on this journey is Roman Kitt, someone she was never expecting to join her as a war correspondent. I won't give away too much now, but I will definitely NEED to pick up the second book after that ending. I also forget this novel wasn't going to be a standalone so I was wondering how everything was going to wrap up in the last 10% or so.

I just loved everything about this book! I've read a few of Rebecca Ross's other novels, but this book, Divine Rivals has to be my absolute favorite out of all!

Huge thank you to St. Martin books/Wednesday books for this arc!

This book was hope in every single form; bright and burning and aching. Everything about Divine Rivals has your heart constricting. You feel hope in its rawest form and it sits in your chest the entire time you’re reading.

Rebecca Ross is impeccable at what she does. This book takes the horrors of war and the strength of hope and weaves it into something so beautiful it leaves you feeling raw at the very end. The war is so close to our characters home that it rips through you when you realize it’s only just begun.

Her characters are beautiful, laden with depth and emotions so real you feel everything they do and hope they survive everything. Roman is everything. His emotions, his personality, his story. I don’t think I’ve ever loved a MMC more.

I couldn’t put this book down. From our FMC, Iris, leaving home to witnessing what war is actually like to falling in love to living on a thread of hope — this book holds you and doesn’t let go. This book is everything I had hoped and more.

RR did an amazing job and I will be thinking of this book for weeks to come.

I’ve read three of Rebecca Ross’s books now, and she’s quickly filling up my top 10. Her writing is beautiful. Her stories are captivating. Divine Rivals is no exception.

I don’t think I’ve ever cried in a book about something I thought _might_ happen. I’m not saying whether it did or didn’t, but there was a scene in the book that was so visceral — I was so in it — and I got it in my head the tension was building up to a certain event… I was bawling and scared to turn the page.

My sole critique of the book is that there was an abrupt lull in the last quarter that felt out of place and unnecessary. Once the story made it through that bit, it took off running again to a thrilling conclusion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for providing me with an arc to review. I can’t wait to hold a published copy of this in my hands.

Loved.

Rebecca Ross has fast become one of my favourite writers, her effortless prose are so poetic, atmospheric and transportive in place and emotion.

Iris Winnow is a reporter trying to make ends meet for her and her mother since her brother has gone to war to fight amongst the gods. Roman Kitt is her aristocratic, co-reporter and sworn enemy. But these two are also connected in more ways than one and maybe there’s more to their connection then simple competition.

With witty banter and moments of raw honesty I loved watching Iris and Romans complicated relationship unfold.

With a backdrop of war between ancient gods, Ross weaves a harrowing love story amongst the action and brutality of a battle torn land. The truth is complicated and as Roman and Iris find themselves together corresponding on the front lines beautiful and sinister things begin to transpire.

A cliffhanger of an ending but it has made me more and more excited for what’s to come.

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this ARC, all opinions are my own.

Normally, I like my books to be plot driven and not romance driven. I’d say the romance in this book is the main feature and yet I still really liked it. Since there are more books, I do think the romance concluded too soon. I wanted more of the Gods and the war, but after the ending I think that was saved for the next book. This book was cute with dashes of fantasy. It did paint war realistically which was nice to read. I am interested to get more into the fantasy part of the story next book while still keeping the cure romance that was the center if this book.

This book was easily a 5 star read for me. Iris a young woman forced to quit school and work after her brother enlists to fight in a war between two gods. Iris is working as reporter working to keep her and her alcoholic mother afloat, she starts the book competing with Roman, the son of a wealthy and influential railroad owner, for a spot as a Columnist. While she is struggling with this she keeps writing letters to her brother and putting them into her closet, every letter has magically ended up with Roman. After tragedy Iris decides she has nothing left and becomes a war correspondent.

This story hit me in all of my soft places, especially with the way it deals with grief and loss. Of all the characters I identified with Roman the most, he starts out so lost and emotionally broken just to come into himself and learn how to take risks to get what he wants instead of doing what is expected of him and forced on him.

I loved the world building and the setting, the idea of an entire city turning away from music because a musical god built an army with it was very interesting to me. The way we learn about Dacre and Enva and why they are warring felt very natural and not forced. I loved the attention to detail on why things work the way they do like the history of the typewriters that are allowing Iris’ letters to get to Roman, and how the siren system works for Avalon Bluff.

I honestly can’t wait for the sequel!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.