This book is so good!

The rivals, Iris and Roman, who venture into an unknown war become an unlikely duo. Both writers who go to report back about the war find themselves leaning on each and their new group of friends turned family. Trying to report the truth, find lost family members, and stay alive these two go through so much. I cannot wait for the arrival of Book 2 already! Read this one!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a chance to read and review this story!

I don't know what else to say besides that this is my new favorite book of all time. The narrators both did an amazing job, there were a few moments towards the end where I could tell that Iris' part hadn't been mixed properly (for two or three words in a sentence her voice would drop a bit lower) but I'm sure that will get worked out before it goes on sale.

The story though. The story is incredible, amazing, absolutely wonderful could not put down, and have read five times now since receiving the e-arc of the book last year. Getting to listen to the an advanced audio copy has been a dream come true - I hope everyone has the opportunity to let this gorgeous story into their lives as soon as it hits shelves in April!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5)

Divine Rivals (Rebecca Ross, April 2023)

Goodreads synopsis:
After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.
To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish―into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.
When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever. Shadow and Bone meets Lore in this epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

I really enjoyed A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross, so when I saw her newest book available on NetGalley I requested a copy (gotta feel important somehow, am I right). I'll cut to the chase: I loved it!

I liked that there wasn't much world-building! I have found world-building can take me out of the plot and/or bog me down, so this minimalist approach was perfect for me -- it was basically....the world....with some god wars thrown in (I actually forgot about that element at a few different points).

I honestly just had a wonderful time reading Divine Rivals. At one point I checked and was only 46% in, which in [unnamed book I read right beforehand] made me think "Oh god how am I only halfway through, so much has happened and you're telling me I still have SEVEN HOURS left?" However in Divine Rivals I thought "Ooo, still so much to go!"

I also really enjoyed the romance, which is unsurprising because I adore first loves. This one had an air of You've Got Mail, but without the extreme manipulation -- always a plus!

The end-ish confused me a little...but it did its job because I am 100% in for the sequel.

My rating is a five out of five. I loved it!

Divine Rivals will be available on Tuesday April 4th of 2023. Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced listener copy!

Potential content warnings: Mom with alcohol issues.

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.

Specific to the audiobook, I was really happy I had the opportunity to listen to this book. The narrators were wonderful and engaging the entire time (to the extent that I was pacing my living room while listening to some of the final chapters because I was so engrossed). I think the letter-writing format of this book lent itself well to an audio format as we were able to hear Roman's letters in Roman's voice during Iris's POV chapters and vice versa and that really kept them clear and distinct.

Below is my review of the book's content:

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.

Divine Rivals is an enemies-to-lovers romance set in a world with two gods at war. Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt are young journalists competing for a columnist position at the Oath Gazette.

Iris’s brother has gone to war, and she writes him letters using a magic typewriter. Little does she know, her letters are actually being transported to Roman, who writes her back.

This novel reminded me of Undertaking Hart and Mercy, a fantasy-romance from last year that also involved magic letters and two young people who “hated” each other falling for each other through writing. So I may be judging Divine Rivals a but unfairly in comparison, because I loved that book *so* much.

Iris and Roman are interesting characters and I did believe their romance, though it didn’t completely suck me in. I’d have enjoyed a little more banter. The book really picked up once we actually visited the front lines of the war, and I was invested in Iris’s search for her brother.

Divine Rivals is much more of a romance than a fantasy. I was a bit frustrated that the world-building was so shallow: we’re told this is a war between gods, and there are a few myths about the gods shared in the novel, but otherwise there was very little mentioned about them until the end. The way the book ends makes me think there will be more focus on the fantasy aspect in book 2, which could be interesting.

Overall, I enjoyed this one and am curious to see where Rebecca Ross takes the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for my review copy of this audiobook.

An epistolary masterpiece! This is a unique war tale of rivals to lovers with a blend of historical fiction, fantasy, and magic realism. The narrators were amazing, the accents varied and diverse. It hooks you right in. Highly recommend!

As much as I enjoyed this book and was invested in it while listening (wonderful voice actress/actor work), I struggle to actually come up with anything to say about it. I enjoyed the characterizations, the intimate and down to earth moments between our cast, and the magical typewriters, but I can’t find any more to say on it. I wanted to be interested in the gods and their backstories and their affect on the world, but they were so bland and removed from the narrative that I’m struggling to care.

This book feels like one I’ll forget I’ve read by the end of the year.

I really enjoyed this! It’s such an interesting concept/premise with the gods and myths behind it, and it’s so beautifully written, equal parts melancholic and hopeful. So many utterly sad parts tempered with a really sweet rivals to lovers arc. The typewriters, the entwined family history, the inherently magical world…so many really cool things within the story. And I was completely enamored all the way up to just the very last section of book - the last bit goes a bit weird. After the gas scene, it’s like the whole tone shifts briefly. I found it disconcerting and not very believable or in line/contrast to the story up till that point, it felt like a twist kind of thrown in for shock value but didn’t really flow with the story. But other than that, it was such a wonderful read. I loved Iris and Roman, and how their relationship develops. The friendship between Iris, Marisol, and Attie was one of my favorite parts of the book, I would happily read a whole book just about the three of them. And then the cliffhanger ending definitely left me excited and impatient for the next book!

The narration was lovely, both narrators did a great job. Both of their parts and voices went together nicely and made listening really enjoyable.

I've liked everything Rebecca Ross has written so far and this is no different!
She really does take you on a journey. This novel transported me to the world she created, the time of war, along with the dueling gods. It was atmospheric and immersive. I loved the two leads. They came alive for me, and I could hear their voices in my head. I loved the banter and the back and forth, and the letters! Oh, the LETTERS! This definitely gave a You've Got Mail vibes, and I'm all for it. It also revived my interest in antique typewriters and I must have spent a good afternoon or two just browsing them. I may also have bought one (!!!) so yeah, that's a testament to the power of Ross' writing.

The audiobook was good, too! I listened to it in tandem with the arc, and I really enjoyed the voices. The different accents made the story come alive! If ever, I would've preferred a little more expression from the female narrator during the emotional scenes, but overall, loved it and highly recommend!

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. I listened to the audiobook but also went back to read some of my favorite parts in the ebook. The narrators did a great job of performing these personalities and I loved how the opposite narrator would read the parts that were epistolary.

Romantic Content: Brief, vague open door

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. Moreover, I was lucky enough to listen to the ARC audiobook for the majority of my reading experience, and it was fantastic. I'm still a newbie with audiobooks, but I loved the sound of the drums and music at the start. At the end when it returned, I felt audibly thrown into the world due to the chaos unfolding. I'll highly recommend it to any reader who loves audiobooks!

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!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this early! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A lovely, poignant story of two teens who find each other despite the odds of war. There were some great twists at the end that I didn’t expect and the cliffhanger left me wanting more. Look forward to the sequel!

This book had me from the very beginning. I fell in love with Rebecca Ross's writing with A River Enchanted and A Fire Endless, but honestly I believe Divine Rivals is even better. I'm always in for. a good pen pal romance, but wow this one blew me away. I listened to the entire book in one day! Such gorgeous writing, lovable characters and great slow burn enemies to lovers romance. I also found the mixture of a fantasy world with 1940's technology and vibes unique. I'm ready for the next one in this series and think Becca Ross has me for life now.

The audiobook is particularly well produced. We have 2 narrators and both do an outstanding job of making their characters come alive. I usually follow along with an e-book, but I started this in the car and the narration pulled me in right away. Well worth a listen!

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had never read a Rebecca Ross novel before but I am so happy I requested this! I am now going to read all of her previous works. I am very picky when it comes to romance in novels but this was done wonderfully. When I do really enjoy romance it is often either friends to lovers or enemies to lovers (which was the romance in this) and this trope was done beautifully.

The fantasy elements were great as well. I would classify this as a soft magic system so far. Iris lives in a world that was once ruled by Gods. The Gods have been buried for ages but when one awakens he sets out to find the Goddess that escaped him setting off a war among the two Gods. Iris' brother sets off to fight in the war and life is never the same.

I loved this world and was so impressed with the world building by Rebecca Ross. I actually loved the way the war was written. It felt very much like WW2 Britain. The relationship between Roman and Iris fantastic and the narrators Alex Wingfield and Rebecca Norfolk did a wonderful job of capturing the voices of the two. I cannot wait for the next book in this series!

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.

This is the story of Iris Winnow, an aspiring reporter whose brother has left to fight in a war between gods. She writes him letters on a magical typewriter, but the letters end up in the hands of her archrival Roman Kitt instead, letting him glimpse into her world.

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end, but I felt the story focused so heavily on the rivals to lovers romance that other elements of the story were never effectively fleshed out. I found myself longing to know more about her brother's reasons for leaving and experiences at war, more detailed exploration of the reasons for and the conditions of the war, and far more understanding of the the world's lore, creatures, gods, and magic systems. This world has such potential for depth and richness, and I can't wait to see what we learn about it in the sequel.

The character-building and dialogue in this story was well done. While none of the characters particularly stand out from the rest, they're all interesting, engaging, and individual enough from one another to keep the story clipping along. I enjoyed learning about all of them and watching them care for one another in such challenging times. The romance in this story was well-written, and though I typically dislike nearly fade-to-black sex scenes, I really enjoyed the somewhat ambigous but lovely imagery Ross used to depict the intimate moments between Iris and Roman.

This felt like a really quick read despite the length, which is typically an indicator for me that the pacing was on point. I never found myself wishing things would hurry along. The end felt a little rushed, but it's obvious that Ross is setting us up for an exciting sequel which I am looking forward to picking up once it's out.

A huge thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for access to this audiobook ARC.

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.

Divine Rivals, at its core, is a book about a girl whose whole personality is thrown away for a boy that doesn’t need a girlfriend, but does need therapy and to stop playing the victim. But let’s take a look at the actual blurb.

“After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish―into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.”

Sound promising, right?

*cue booing crowd*

This book had the chance to be so incredible. I was expecting more of Iris’s brother and the mythology of the gods. Instead, we had weak enemies-to-lovers that took precedence in what could have been a unique story. The war between gods was a joke. We hear one myth that explains why they are fighting, and that is all. You could have dropped these characters in any war and gotten the same book. There was the chance for this world to be so unique and beautiful, but the gods and myths weren’t the main points. I expected the gods to actually interact in the war, or at least have major sway on the plot as a whole. It is such an odd thing to advertise your book, only for it to barely appear in the story. Iris’s brother is mentioned in the beginning, forgotten about for most of the middle (except for Iris’s musing over him once in a blue moon,) and then randomly appears again in the end. For what felt like such a long book, I wanted more from the brother-sister bond, especially since it is stated how “close” they are.

Roman took gaslight, gatekeep, and girl boss way too personally. My mom always says, “Someone’s biggest problem is the biggest problem they’ll ever understand,” which I never understood until this day. Roman comes from a station of privilege, and yet he is fighting over being a columnist with a girl he knows does not come from wealth. I get that he wanted to please his father, but it was completely irrational. He even didn’t buy her a sandwich just in case it made his dad mad. He immediately judged her based on the fact she had to quit school to work. Like, buddy not all of us come from trust funds? He was so arrogant and judgemental right off the bat! He reads the very personal letters she wrote in the beginning that were meant for her brother and then lies saying he didn’t have them when she asked for them back. He knew who she was from the beginning, but did not share his own identity. While I was not a fan of this, the author still had a slim chance to fix this but nope! Roman remained an ass. When Iris confronted him, he was so offended that she accused him of taking advantage of her!!! Be so astronomically for real right now. He insisted that he only kept her original letters because he didn’t want to give them back. Like…what the hell. Something else that doesn’t sit well with me is that he almost guilt trips her for giving up his life of comfort. He willingly left his place of status for her, but still puts that on Iris’ shoulders, never mind that she did not even like him at this point.

Iris could have been wonderful but then the author ruined her character with the romance. She truly was resilient, and her emotions were complex. She felt a mix of love and anger towards her brother who had left to fight the war and her mother who had become an alcoholic since he left. Instead of moping, she takes charge of her life and chooses to become a war correspondent. She genuinely had a good heart and seemed to want to help the war effort. Then our lovely writer took all that (justified) resentment Iris felt towards Roman and somehow made it turn into love! Because he saved her life! We are just going to skip over how he manipulated and lied to her all the time because he has trauma. When she first started writing letters to her mysterious pen pal, she built tentative trust with the stranger on the other line and was rightfully angry when she found out it was Roman. She found out he knew it was her writing the letters the whole time, but it was okay, he didn’t mean to be a complete butthead! There was not even proper groveling. (For sake of spoilers, I will wait til the book comes out to share some scenes that made me angry.) She pretty much forgives him for his deceptions right off that bat. If I had a dollar for every time an author ruined a character for the sake of romance, I would be able to have Belle’s library.

The only reason this book has two stars is because the writing was beautiful at times.

I don’t know. I’m so tired.

Also, rip to all the valuable paper that could have been used for messages for families of traumatized soldiers, but instead was used for cute paper fights?

Iris works at the Oath Gazette and is fighting against her rival, Roman, for the position of columnist. Missing her brother who is fighting in a war of gods, she writes him letters and slips them into her wardrobe where they disappear. She doesn’t know where they go and has never gotten an answer, until suddenly a letter appears in her room. It isn’t from her brother. She continues to write letters and begins to feel a kinship with her anonymous pen pal, but when her world is turned upside down, she leaves for the frontline of the war as a correspondent. Little does she know that the letters will follow her and be the only thing that can keep her grounded in the midst of a war.

THIS. This is how you do enemies/rivals to lovers. This relationship was one of the most genuine-feeling ones I’ve read in a long time. While it did move a little quickly, I felt that it made sense as they were the only people in each other’s lives that bothered to listen to or try to understand them. I loved that the author chose to continue this book after the protagonists revealed their feelings and the relationship began as well. So often, the work ends as soon as the romance is resolved, but in this case, we got to see more of their romance. Iris and Roman were fantastic protagonists, both relatable and interesting with clear motivations and depth.

I only had one real complaint about this work. At the beginning, there’s no real explanation of the world and setting. We’re thrown into a world with gods and magic but also modern technology like typewriters with no explanation of the parameters of this world; the war also feels similar in scope to WWI. I would have liked a bit more background information about the setting to avoid the slight confusion near the beginning. I was going to rate this work a bit lower because of the worldbuilding, but to be quite honest, by the end of this work I couldn’t imagine rating it anything other than a five.

The ending was wonderful, though fair warning, it does set up for the sequel so it’s not a neat finish. I can’t wait to read the next work, and highly recommend this book! Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this work, which will be published April 4th, 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A historical fantasy, war story, and rival-to-lovers romance all in one! I loved the world-building and relationships in Divine Rivals. The story follows a war of gods, told through the perspectives of two young rival journalists. I don't want to give too much away, but their connection is so so good — somehow I feel like it was slow-burn and super fast all at once?? But I loved it! I am so happy this is a series, and I will be excitedly waiting for the second.