One of my 2022 highlights was the Elements of Cadence duology by Rebecca Ross, and of course I was eager to read Divine Rivals as soon as it came out.
Divine Rivals is an enemies to lovers romance between two rival newspaper journalists, Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt. Trying to hold her family together, Iris hopes to win a promotion to columnist at the Oath Gazette. But when her letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands, those of her fiercest rival at the paper, a magical connection forms between the two.
The setting for this fantasy novel is a world inspired by the early 20th century where the Gods Enva and Dacre are at war with each. When Iris’s brother, who was forced to fight on behalf of the Gods, goes missing on the front line, Iris quits the Gazette and enlists as a war correspondent. Can the bond between Roman and Iris withstand the trials of war? Can the two find love among the wreckage brought about by the Gods?

This was an outstanding read – the dynamic between the characters was spot on, the WW1-inspired backdrop of a trench war felt real and well-written, and the epistolary correspondence was utterly romantic.
The story is told in Ross’s customary lyrical prose, which I absolutely adore. My only slight issue was that at the time of reading the eARC, I hadn’t realised that this was not a standalone novel –very much my own fault, of course, and it wouldn’t have delayed me wanting to read this novel, simply altered my expectations of the ending. So on the one hand, I found myself in disbelief and absolutely on edge at the cliffhanger ending, and on the other hand I am glad that I’ll get to revisit this world and the characters in the second book.

You know when a book just gives you everything you want and more?! This book did that! I found myself enjoying this so much more than I thought I would.

Mixing WWII with mythology, this young adult fantasy set the scene for an atmospheric romance. There were indeed elements of an epic love story but the relationship between Iris and Roman actually ended up being quite wholesome. The stakes felt low despite the wartime setting. It actually felt more like a workplace romance. The couple had something of a You’ve Got Mail vibe about them thanks to their in-person one-upmanship and via-letter soul-baring.

Iris was plucky and resilient but not always the most rational, while Roman was entitled, becoming less of a snob as the story went on. Their romance was sweet and I liked seeing their friendship tentatively blossom in real life – their so-called bickering never really quite made sense.

On the whole, this book was easy to get swept up in and therefore easy to like. Unfortunately though, it did begin to lose its footing by the end as it veered a bit too close to melodrama for my liking. Even though I wasn’t convinced by the ending, I would continue with the series, if only to see whether Iris and Roman develop some sense.

Keeping the stakes low, the driving force behind this YA fantasy was its wholesome romance. The novel was atmospheric and beautifully written but the ending definitely felt a little rushed.

Would I recommend?… Yes, if you’re a fan of fantastical historical fiction and don’t mind a little melodrama

As someone who adores Ross' work, it did not surprise me how much I loved Iris and Kitt. As usual, I got sucked in from page one and needed to know where this story will take me. It is major historical fantasy vibes with such a good romance threaded throughout. I need book 2 asap and cannot wait for my edition to arrive!

Poignant, richly imagined and draped in beautiful prose, a story about rivalry and love, the brutality of war, humanity and survival.

4.0/5

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I've been a bit ambivalent about Ross's writing in the past - while good, I didn't connect fully with any of the stories. Divine Rivals, however, is a game changer. Iris is a great protagonist and you really feel for her throughout the novel. Roman is explored a little less, which hopefully will be solved in the next novel. I'm also hoping for more of the gods in future books, though grounding the story in the human characters is a strong move. The conceit of the typewriters, while perhaps slightly cliche, works well, and the found family element during the war parts makes you feel all cosy inside. Falling somewhere between high-stakes and low-stakes fantasy, I'm still intrigued to see what comes next.

I enjoyed all the characters in this incredible fantasy romance. I had such a good time reading it and was hooked instantly. I fell in love alongside the characters and felt it was paced perfectly.

Fantasy romance , fantastic characters and a perfect relationship, you guessed it I was absolutely addicted from the first page and couldn't stop. The romance is just lovely and you will really root for Iris and Kitt., it is a well-paced story , the supporting characters just as good as the main characters and you care for them just as much. Although I will say the end nearly broke me, I can’t wait for the next now

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Absolutely adored this book - the writing was so gorgeous and immersive, the world was so interesting and it dealt with the topics of grief and war so well.
This is a 4.5 star read for me - I have to admit I mainly read this for the romance, but if you are more of a plot-focused, worldbuilding kind of person, you may not enjoy this book as much. For me as a character enthusiast who knew what I was signing up for, it worked really well for me.

The only reason this isn't a perfect 5 is:
- I was sad when we got less from Roman's POV in the second half of the book - I found his chapters at the start to be really good but towards the back end of the book he just seemed to only care about Iris (which is fine, we love a pathetic man, but I did want him to have some other concerns).
- Although I did love the romance and that's what I was there for, I did find myself getting a little confused about the plot. There were quite a few things that seemed like a set up for book 2 so that the romance could take centre stage for this book, and I don't 100% know if I minded this or not.
- I am still in two minds about if I wanted this to be a stand-alone or not. The stakes are super high and the ending is very emotional with a few great twists, but I think I would have preferred it as one book. But I think this could also be coming from a place that just wants these characters to be safe and happy lol. I'm not super jazzed about the storyline Roman seems to be getting in book 2, or the way the book is going in general, but we'll just have to wait and see as I'm also super curious!

Minor qualms aside, this is an outstanding book, the writing is honestly stunning and I fell as much in love with all of these characters as Roman and Iris did with each other. The tension is on a whole other level, and I absolutely devoured it all!

Thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Rebecca Ross for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this one. It gave me WW1/WW2 vibes, have done really from the opening scene. I was really intrigued as to how the story was going to come together, and I didn't know, going into it, that it was going to be a duology. Now I have to wait even longer for the rest of the story, and it's going to drive me mad, I just know it!

4.5 stars
If I had to describe Divine Rivals , I would call it beautiful and heartwrenching. I went into it, not knowing what to expect and found myself completely drawn in and enchanted by the story that I was reading. Rebecca Ross' writing is incredible and so picturesque that you find yourself imagining the events of the book as though they were scenes from a movie playing in front of you.

Iris and Roman are both amazing characters and their journey from the start to the end of the book
was so well done. They are great characters individually, but together their dynamic has a special kind of magic and I really admire that. One of my favourite parts of the book was the letter writing aspect; I feel that really added a lot to this story.

The ending left me gasping and wanting for more. Divine Rivals has just come out but I am already excited for the next book!

I loved this book, it will be a story that sticks with me! Another great book by Rebecca Ross.

I loved Iris and Roman’s journey and the magical yet harrowing picture painted on the way.

This is going to be one of the big young adult fantasys of the year, i can tell. Thw story is beautiful and immersive (although it is a bit tell and not show) . I wasn't sure what to expect so I did enjoy the story a fair bit, a hostorical fantasy romance is not my normal genre at all,. (it does feel light on the fantasy). I liked the romance, it maybe happened a bit too fast but was still good and it was good to see the characters grow togethe. There are some darker/heavier topics so do read those trigger warnings first but i felt they were dealt with very tactifcully and felt natural to the story. All in all, an enjoyable YA read.

Um ... I freaking loved this...

Divine Rivals is a historical fantasy romance, and a book that I have had on my radar but not anticipated highly. I saw this cover (rather than the US one) and was obsessed and requested the book from netgalley (if nothing else than to justify my choice to purchase a special edition).

And I'm so glad I did.

This book was full of heart, it featured alot of historically accurate descriptions of war that we saw in WW1 and WW2. The relationships in this book were so hearty and true. I felt the protagonists grief. I felt her connection to Roman and the way they drew together. I was entranced by the setting and the stakes.

I have a few minor critiques: mostly that it was hard to tell the passing of time in this book and that we didnt get to learn much about the threat of who they were fighting in the war. But looking back at the book I only remember how much of a page turner it was.

I really recommend this, not to lovers of high fantasy or high stakes books, but moreso to people who love relationship driven fantasy, lighter fantasy, with WW1/WW2 elements and a hearty romance.

I cannot wait for book 2!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Divine rivals is an enemies to lover troupe book, it follows Iris Winnow who is a writer for a newspaper company who rivals against Roman Kitt. The story is set in a world where there is a war against the gods- Enva and Dacre, the book follows Iris’ journey as she becomes a war correspondent in hopes of finding her brother and knowing more about the history behind this war. Amongst trying to find out more about the war, Iris is also trying to find out the person who is receiving her letters that are addressed to her brother- which we know is her rival.

This book is an emotional roller coaster, at first it was a slow burn but when the romance settles in my emotions were all over the place- I started gushing over the cuteness within the letters, and started crying when the two admit their true feelings. That ending has got me hooked, I need to know what happens, I will definitely be picking up the second book.

Overall, this book was a solid 4.5 stars for the lively writing and the plot.

❛ He didn’t want to live in a world without her and her words. ❜

4.5 STARS ✨

I was fortunate enough to receive an ARC of Divine Rivals from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Divine Rivals is great for fans of:

• Historical fiction
• Work rivals to lovers
• Mythological influences
• Hidden identities
• War centric plots

This book was so beautifully written that it felt impossible to try and choose one quote that I loved; I think I've highlighted around 25% of the book as it truly was just a piece of art. Both Iris and Roman's perspectives just seemed to speak to my very soul from the power that their words encompassed. I think I would read anything that either of them published, and, of course, by default, the mastermind behind the two of them, Rebecca Ross.

Whilst this is a beautifully crafted fictional world, there are World War One/World War Two undertones there, and whilst I don't read a lot of historical fiction, per se, it has made me want to delve deeper into reading more of it. As someone who spent time volunteering at World War One memorial events and advocating for the importance of them as a teenager, I definitely found myself getting consumed in the array of emotions and themes that Ross presented and Divine Rivals acted as a reminder that this is a genre I really need to delve into.

Something that was especially refreshing for me was that I have got comfortable in reading works that focus on gods and goddesses as the narrators, rather than humans. Reading from the perspectives of humans who are at the forefront of the war of Gods, forced to reap the consequences, was really fascinating. The lore of the Skywards and the Underlings was really interesting, and I loved the different mediums that you discover the fragments of the myth from throughout the novel. I'm excited to hopefully see it divulged into further in the second book.

Divine Rivals is one of those books where you can sense all of the hard work, love and soul poured into it; Ross did such a wonderful job and it was just written so smoothly that it was a pleasure to read. I am a big fan of novels where the writing style almost feels lyrical from the beauty and the depth in between the lines, and Divine Rivals definitely held that vibe. I think that's why when I told myself I was only going to read a chapter and call it a night, I didn't stop until I was at the end hours later.

I can't wait to see where this goes next! The series has massive potential — I'm not sure if I'm mentally prepared for the angst that's to come, so perhaps it's a good thing that I have until next year to sort myself out, but, either way, I'm sure that Iris at the Front is going to be a hit.

Oh my golly gosh. I had a few bookish friends rave about this book and now I totally get it! This was so well written, the premise was one I hadn't read before and I loved it. It felt like a magical war time romeo and Juliet. My emotions were all over the place while reading and yes I even started to tear up at one point.
That ending has set it up nicely for book 2 (which I can't wait for).

I had high hopes for Divine Rivals, as it was one of my most anticipated books of 2023, and I was not disappointed.

Divine Rivals was everything I wanted and more. The writing was lush and beautiful and filled with so much hope. The historical elements of the book were very well done, and I enjoyed the hints of fantasy worldbuilding we also got. Ross did a great job of setting up the plot, and a lot of things mentioned in the first half of the book paid off in the second half.

For a book about war and grief, it’s surprisingly comfortable. I think a lot of it is due to the writing, but also just how the general plot was set up. Both Iris and Kitt experience a lot of death and destruction, and they’re affected by the war in different ways. But they remain hopeful and carve out some joy for themselves in the dark times.

I was absolutely hooked. I could not stop reading, and the end of this book destroyed me. I really rooted for the romance between Iris and Kitt. I thought it was well-paced, and that the two of them really complemented each other well. The side characters were well written and fleshed out, and I came to care for the found family.

I could probably go on all day about this book, but I don’t think I have the words to do it justice. It was amazing, and I adored it, and I need the sequel like right now.

Oh. God. Perfect. Fantasy? Check. Romance? Check? Golden background? Check. Amazing vibes? Check. Hope, love and poetry? Check. Awesome characters and awesome relationship? Check, check and check.

I really enjoyed this book, it was so well written and is a great book for both the young adult and adult market, I didn’t feel like this had to be exclusively marketed at young adults. The writing was great and I really liked the setting and the story idea. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.