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.

This was a great read. I was happy that a sequel was teased and can't wait to see what happens. I really enjoyed the world building and the multiple narrators. I love when a novel creates its own mythology which is well done here.

Thank you so much to @Macmillan.Audio and @netgalley for the early listener copy of Divine Rivals. Kayla at @idlewildreads makes the most beautiful reels and the one for this novel made my jaw drop. I wanted to read anything that would evoke the feeling that her reel made me feel (what a weird sentence.) I became a bit apprehensive when I realized it was both YA and fantasy, but it’s always good to branch an out a bit, right?

Iris is a young journalist vying for a promotion against her enemy Roman Kitt. Her personal life is nothing like Roman’s though, and it’s hard to keep her head in the game. Her brother has gone off to fight in the war against the gods, and her mother is drowning her sorrows in alcohol. Iris finds respite in letter writing, and when her letter is returned by an unexpected source, sparks begin to fly.

This is the perfect novel for those dipping their toe in the fantasy genre. There is no world building and little description of the warring gods, rather the author places the emphasis on the love story. I can see why serious fantasy lovers would be a bit disappointed in that choice, but it worked for me. The ending isn’t resolute, so like many fantasy novels, I believe this will be a series. Time will tell if I choose to pick up the next installment, but I enjoyed my brief time with these characters. Additionally, the narration and war time setting eliminated any whiny or angsty voice, which is usually a no go for me in YA.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You beautiful, beautiful book!!! Fan-freaking-tastic!!!!!
Thank you to Netgalley, Wednesday Books/Macmillan Audio, and the magnificent author Rebecca Ross for this audioARC!!!! I am pre-ordering the hardcover today!
There is absolutely so much love in my heart for this book that I may need a book transfusion STAT to get over the fact that I just finished and I NEED MORE!!!! My status is critical and I'm crashing!
Oh Kitt!!!!!
Freaking Forest!!!!!
Why does Iris always have to lose the people she loves? Death, abandonment, being forced to leave people behind...so many people she deserves to hold on to. Oh, my aching heart!
I want to throw something.
I am going through all the stages of book grief here. Neither Iris or Kitt would be proud of my meltdown!
Okay...pulling myself together because I'm still grasping just how incredible it is that Rebecca Ross was able to craft a book that tells both a compelling story of war as if set during WW2, but is in fact a fantasy novel about two writing rivals falling in love because their magical typewriters brought them together. Ross' writing is beautiful and flawless, and the imagery immersive.
I cannot recommend this book enough! If I could give it ten stars, I totally would.
BUY IT!!!
READ IT!!!!
SHARE IT!!!!!!

NO REGRETS!!!!!

Rebecca Ross is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. I went into Divine Rivals with high expectations and I was not disappointed! This story is beautiful written and descriptive, It includes elements of fantasy, magic and Gods, is rivals-to-lovers, includes pen pals (with a magical twist), and has early 1990s vibes.

The book follows Iris Winnow, who is trying to hold her family together. Her brother is away at war, and hasn't been heard from in months, and her mother is struggling with addiction. All Iris wants is to offer her family some stability and comfort, by earning a position as columnist at Oath Gazette, a respected newspaper. Unfortunately, Roman Kit, stands in her way of achieving this goal. I don't want to give much more away, just know that this is such a fantastic story full of adventure, danger, and love.

Iris is strong, brave, mature, and just trying to do her best for her family. She felt relatable and I was routing for her the entire book. Roman was just everything and I loved him. The banter between these two was incredible and I always had a smile on my face as they interacted with one another. It is mostly told from the POV of Iris, however we did get a few chapters from Roman which I absolutely loved knowing his thoughts and feelings.

I listened to the audiobook and thought both narrators did a fantastic job. I finished this in a day because I could not put it down! I will now be patiently waiting the conclusion the next book.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A girl who feels alone in a world at war sets out to find out what has happened to her brother. Along the way she makes some good friends and falls in love with someone who shares her passion for writing.

I am a huge fan of Rebecca Ross' voice and writing style. All of her works have delivery unique lore, and Divine Royals is no different. This gave me wonderful 20's era vibes set in a magical world during a war, and I absolutely inhaled it!

Divine Rivals is a Romeo and Juliet with a bit of a period historical war and bit of fantasy mixed into it. It was a bit of a slow start, but I expected a little of that with this being this first in a multi book series. There was a lot of world building, and revealing of the magical systems.

Normally period pieces don't work well for me, but Ross wrote in a way that just had that hook. It could have been the magically in the time piece or possibly the journalism and writer aspect of things. Etiher way it just worked and I absolutely can't wait until the next one.

Oh my goodness oh my goodness oh my goodness. I am writing this review 2 days after finishing this ALC and I'm still just as enamored with this story as I was the entire time I was listening to it. Often, I'll think I love a story but once I marinate with my thoughts, I realize it didn't stand the test of time.

But I should have known better. How could I have doubted Rebecca Ross? Her writing is so impeccable, her melding of music and magic was enchanting, and the characters and relationships (both romantic and platonic) are *chef's kiss* And let's not forget about the plot. The whole front line setting added so much angst and tension to an already riveting story.

Long story short, I need everyone to read this book AS SOON as it releases (or listen to it. The narration was gorgeous 😍) now I'll just be stalking Rebecca Ross' instagram for news on the next book in the series because that ending had me SHOOKETH.

Thank you to netgalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review. I absolutely loved the voices of both characters! But I wish we could hear them dependent on the male and female dialogue as opposed to the chapter.

Loved it, like all of her work -- the romance was tender and realistic, and I loved the journalism setting; very unique for a fantasy work!

🎧 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Now that is a cliffhanger ending. I was drawn to this book by the title, and loved this story of gods at war, and two human rivals connected by a magical typewriter. That in itself sounds weird, but it’s really good. The characters are great and I’m really excited to read the next installment.

Themes: 🗣️🗣️☢️⌨️🖤💍

My feelings: 😀🥹😶‍🌫️🫢🫡🤗

#netgalley
@netgalley
@macmillan.audio
#macmillanaudio
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#goodreads
#readmorebooks
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Hopeful and heartfelt, Rebecca Ross has created a world that is reminiscent of our own. Filled with sorrow and the intense desire to find joy amidst the chaos.

Divine Rivals follows two rival journalists through their early careers, spanning from newsroom to war trenches. The world is one of warring god and weary soldiers,of magic typewriters and fated love.

I have fallen deeply for this authors writing style. It has an old world story tellers feel that is often threaded with otherworldly lore. If Ross is a modern day troubadour ( I suspect she is!) she is one who excels in quiet intimate moments.Fans of rivals to lovers who crave a bit more in the world building will easily fall for this particular tale.

The audio-book version of Divine Rivals is spectacular and only feeds into that storyteller feel. It's easy to play this and imagine being bellied up to a large fireplace in an old tavern with a tankard listening to an old tales being spun.
I received this complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review

This novel blew me away! The romance between Iris and Roman was so masterfully written that someone with a coal for a heart like me couldn't help but to melt and root for them all the way through to the end. The letters that they wrote to each other were so sweet and heartfelt, and I loved how they became more and more intimate. The whole enemies to lovers trope worked out so well in this novel and it was pretty believable. Sometimes enemies to lovers can feel really forced, but this flowed so naturally.

I received the audio arc and I have to say that both narrators, Alex Wingfield and Rebecca Norfolk, made the whole thing come alive. They were both so wonderful to listen to! The narrators really made me believe that Iris and Roman were destined for each other (even though they were both 18-19 and tbh reading about young love isn't my thing).

I can't wait for the second book to come out. I hope that the author delves more into the gods responsible for the war, their history, their mythology, and the population's beliefs. It wasn't clearly explained imo other than through oral history, so I pictured it as a war of religious ideologies. Without being too specific and spoilery, the epilogue suggests that we might see the war from a different viewpoint that's more omniscient. I'd love for the author to bring more of that type of fantasy into this series.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audio arc.

This story is amazing. It’s about two journalists in a war torn time that find a magical connection, despite their initial dislike for each other.

The audio for this book was spot on. I will only listen to audiobooks with well done narration, and their narration was perfect for this book!

This book is 2 POV, has mild language, and brief vague open door

A thousand thank yous to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for an ARC audiobook copy of Divine Rivals!

If Rebecca Ross writes it, I will read it. She is by far my favorite author. Her stories always gets me so investing from page one. And there is something so lyrical and atmospheric about her writing. From the start, I knew this was going to be my new favorite book. I thoroughly enjoyed every single moment. I see myself rereading this book and it's follow up over and over. The ending had me floored and sobbing. And I cannot wait for the sequel.

This book is really good. The romance in the book is a rivals to lovers. It is a little different however as there is a surprise element that I don't want to spoil. I love how this book is written and there are moments where I just couldn't do anything because I needed to process what had happened. I loved all the characters and their relationships to eachother. I love that this war is fought due to God's. I loved getting to learn bits about them and why it started. This book has war, betrayal, writers, love, death and romance. The ending has left me hanging and I need to know what happened next.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook of Divine Rivals. This book was beautiful, tragic, and gut wrenching. While the academic rivals aspect of the book was enjoyable to read about, I found the aspects of war to be the most compelling. Ross captures the complexities and devastation of war in such a compelling way. It is the soldiers and civilians who lose the most in this war, not the two gods who are waging it. I eagerly look forward to the next book in this series and I will certainly be reading Ross’ other books.

"I think we all wear armor. I think those who don't are fools, risking the pain of being wounded by the sharp edges of the world, over and over again. But if I've learned anything from those fools, it is that to be vulnerable is a strength most of us fear. It takes courage to let down your armor, to welcome people to see you as you are. Sometimes, I feel the same as you: I can't risk having people behold me as I truly am. But there's also a small voice in the back of my mind, a voice that tells me, 'You will miss so much by being so guarded.'"

I absolutely adored this book! Set as a historical fantasy with fighting gods, Iris Winnow decides to go to the front as a corresponder to report on the war. Throw in her rival, Roman Kitt, and we're set for fun banter and the most adorable rivals to lovers! Meanwhile, Iris is writing letters to another mysterious man & able to bare her soul in away she's never been able to with anyone else.

Historical mythological fantasy meets You've Got Mail "esque" love letters and rivalry.

I read it in less than 24 hours & I already cannot wait for the next one! Great audio with dual narrators for the dual narratives. I listened to this while cleaning & even though I may have been scrubbing the bathrooms, I found myself grieving with Iris, laughing at her witty jibes & overall performance of the story!

"He thought about who he had been before he had met her. Before she had stepped into the Gazette. Before her letter had crossed his wardrobe door. He thought about who he wanted to be now that her hand was in his. He would always be grateful for that decision that night, not so long ago. That night when he decided to write her back."