Synopsis:

Divine Rivals is a YA fantasy of love, war, friendship, resilience and vulnerability.

Eighteen year old Iris Winnow is working as a reporter and competing for the role of permanent columnist at the Oath Gazette against her work rival, the insufferable, privileged Roman Kitt.

The newspaper doesn’t seem to be covering much of the war raging between gods Enva and Dacre, but more and more men from Oath are being called to fight on behalf of the goddess Enva, including Iris’ older brother Forest who she hasn’t heard from in months.

Iris writes letters to her brother on her grandmother’s old typewriter which, it turns out, is one of only three interconnected magical typewriters ever made. Rather than sending them to Forest, wherever he may be, her typewriter sends them to another magical typewriter owner, a mysterious man named Carver who of course writes back. Iris opens up to this new friend in the face of her loneliness and the chaos of her home life, but the transcendent connection between the two will lead of them along a road to war that they can’t return from, whether for better or worse…

My thoughts:

Don’t mind me, I’m just off to read Rebecca Ross’ entire back catalogue…

Divine Rivals is definitely in my top three reads of the year. It has all of my favourite things - urban fantasy, enemies to lovers, interesting gods and mythology, found family - but on top of this Rebecca Ross’ prose is beautiful and her world-building impeccable. I realised as I got about two thirds through the book that this had to be book one of a series, which it is, as there was such much backstory and mythology, but I loved the introductions to the myths surrounding Enva and Dacre and I was completely invested in both Iris and Roman.

Divine Rivals is out on April 13th, and the only sad thing about reading this one is that I’ll have to wait so long for book two to see how that cliffhanger resolves itself!

Thank you to Netgalley and Magpie for the e-ARC - I loved it!

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read divine rivals.
Think you've got mail but with the magic of the lake house in a ww1 setting and a sprinkle of gods and you have divine rivals.
Honestly hands down the best book I've read this year which comes as no surprise I love Ross' stories, Kitt and Winnow are fantastic characters and their letters are beautifully written.
Rebecca you managed to break my heart with this story and I cannot wait to read what happens next.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of the book in exchange of an honest review.
Rating:4.5/5
Favourite quote: Even when the world seems to stop, threatening to crumble,
and the hour feels dark as the siren rings . . . it isn’t a crime to feel joy.
This was a truly divine read! I loved the WW1-esque setting, the atmosphere, and most of all, the characters! The letters were my favourite part of the book. I loved the concept of magical typewriters! I really wanted to annotate the book because the letters contained some of the most beautiful lines I've ever read. The romance between Iris and Roman was beautiful. My only complaint was the ending, which felt a little rushed. The cliffhanger was not as shocking as I was expecting. However, I really enjoyed this book and will eagerly be waiting for the sequel!

I really wasn't emotionally prepared for how invested I would get in this book .. also I need the next book now please!!

Going to be super difficult to say much about this book without unleashing spoilers but .. the book follows Iris and Roman who are rivals at a newspaper! They are wonderful, determined, strong characters and the story features magically linked typewriters, a war between Gods and a load of drama and emotion .. absolutely loved it.

I guess this book is a historical, fantasy romance .. so if you like any of those you will probably love this!

Huge thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins for the early copy .. I can't wait for the story to continue.

This book was definitely not what I expected but in a good way! Iris’ brother goes to fight in the battle of the Gods and leaves his mother and sister behind in Oath, but when Iris doesn’t hear from him she starts writing letters to her brother and leaves them in her wardrobe… only for them to disappear. Eventually, she receives a response, but not from Forest. And so begins her correspondence with the mysterious stranger. It’s a magical You’ve Got Mail with forced proximity, enemies to lovers, workplace romance - what’s not to love?

It made me laugh and it definitely made me cry. I hadn’t expected the war to be such a prominent part of this book and so it definitely made it a more emotional read but I enjoyed seeing Iris build friendships with her new housemates and the community spirit was really present in this book. Iris’ character was easy to connect to and Roman’s was easy to be charmed by (I have a type!), but the side characters were as much a part of this - Attie and Marisol in particular. I did find it slowed down a little towards the third quarter but the drama revived it for me.
I keep wondering what’s going to happen in the next chapter, only to realise I’ve finished and have that torturous wait ahead for the sequel. I’ll definitely be grabbing a copy of that, too!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

Divine Rivals is the first book that I have read by Rebecca Ross, but it certainly won't be the last. From start to finish the writing was heartfelt (sometimes heart-rending) and beautifully done. As the stories of Iris and Roman unfold the reader is taken on an emotional journey through love, loss, and the absolute devastation of war. The addition of mythological gods and magic to a setting very like the first World War worked to enhance the story without making it feel out of place. By the end, my heart was in my throat and I am left desperate for the next book.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross is a beautifully written enemies-to-lovers fantasy. When we meet Iris she's a plucky 18-year-old journalist working in a smoky newsroom complete with the lingering smell of black coffee and the continuous tapping of typewriter keys. Although no exact date is given due to this book being set in an alternative world, it really captures the essence of life in the 1930s.

Her brother is missing on the frontlines, fighting in a mystical war of the Gods. She continues writing to him regardless, however, her letters are soon intercepted by a rival writer completing against her for a promotion at the Oath Gazette. An unlikely, magical connection forms and what happens next is a journey full of hope, heartbreak and utterly charming romance.

Ross' has such a beautiful way with words. Each chapter reads like a love letter full of dreamy and vunerable prose that was simply mesmerising to read. I adored this book, although I felt like there was a little disconnect between life in the trenches and the mythology of the Gods, however, I'm unbelievably excited to delve into this aspect further in the sequel. I completely lost myself in Ross' writing. And that ending?! I'm counting down the days until I'm reunited with Iris and Kitt.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

If I was rating this book on **vibes** alone, it would be a 4.5 star read easily. The setting, premise, world building, history, characters are immaculate. What knocked the rating down a little was the dialogue, which I'll get to in a moment.

However, here's what I loved:

- the magical aspect: and hear me out, because I know lots of people complained there wasn't enough. BUT! I actually love the fact that anything magical is sort of in the background or on the periphery of what's going on, because its so deeply ingrained in their world that its a normal, everyday thing for a shop to alter it's shelves to your budget, or letters to mysteriously arrive through your wardrobe. A+ world building there.
- Iris as a character - we spend a lot of time in Iris' head, whether its through the words she writes in her letters or the chapters from her POV. She's fun, witty, sweet and quiet, but very determined. So many sad things happen to her and she takes them all in her stride.
- Roman Kitt - he's a cutie patootie, underneath all that grump
- the fact that gods are waging war - I love all the lore concerning the gods/goddesses and the fact they're actual beings that humans have interacted with. It reminded me a little of the Greek myths.

Things I didn't enjoy as much:

- There was something off with the way characters spoke and it somehow felt unnatural and stilted, which could sometimes bring me out of the story as I found it really distracting. Because of this, I couldn't give a full 4 stars as it bothered me throughout the whole book.
- Something towards the end of the book, to do with the romance plot, felt strangely rushed and happened very quickly and almost out of nowhere. I'll say no more as its a spoiler, but I think anyone who has read it will know what I mean.

Will I be picking up the sequel when it comes out though? Absolutely I will, the cliffhanger killed me a little!

This was so well written and magical! It had me hooked from the first page, I just couldn't put it down!! Need book 2 asap after that ending.

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Divine Rivals
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: Book 1 of 2 of Iris at the Front
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Rebecca Ross
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Historical Fantasy
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 13th April 2023
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 5/5

”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’s 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. Some- times 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.”

Sublime. Transcendent. Divine.

Any idea of Rebecca Ross’ that gets put to paper and published I immediately love.

This was every bit as amazing as I hoped. Rebecca Ross is one of my favourite authors and once again, she doesn’t disappoint. This story took me on a journey from a news office—where Iris and Roman are rivals competing for the same columnist position—to the front lines of a war between two gods.

The chemistry between Iris and Roman had me gasping, it may as well have been a love triangle because I fully inserted myself in there and had butterflies with the sweet written letters they were writing 🥹. I also thought the typewriting was fantastically fitting with the setting of the 1800s, complete with war ridden times. It makes me think back to the world wars we have had and how the only way to communicate (if communication was an option) was through the written word and Ross takes this fact and lends it a beautiful love story and enchanted typewriters.

The story itself was tense, constantly swapping stakes for even higher ones, and littered with gems such as enchanted mischievous buildings! There wasn’t as much magic as I’d thought there would be, but I was still bewitched by this wonderful book.

That ending. That ENDING. I don’t know if I can wait until 2024 for any sort of conclusion. I’m flabbergasted and horrified and stuck in a state of wonder.

I loved this story. I feel possessed by this story. I’m a bit devastated and damaged after reading this story. I desperately look forward to reading more from this divine author.

𝑲𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉 @ 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒉 𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒚
🧚‍♀️🤍

Wow, Divine Rivals is GOOD. I had no idea what to expect when I started reading it, but I very quickly found myself hooked by the brilliant writing and characters. I’ve never read anything by Rebecca Ross before, but I’m now adding everything she’s written to my wishlist.

Divine Rivals is a mix of genres; romance, war, and fantasy all feature, with the romance aspect being the most prominent. I would have liked the fantasy element to be a bit more present, but what was there was mesmerising, telling a story of gods and magic. I hope this will be explored more in the final book of the duology, as I’m dying to learn more about the gods Enva and Dacre.

Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt are journalists and work acquaintances, living in a city that knows hardly anything of the god war raging far away from them. They end up communicating in a most unlikely way, and slowly they realise there’s more to their relationship than snarky comments and professional rivalry. I loved Iris and Roman so much, and I’m already desperate to continue their story in the sequel. They’re so well written and engaging, reminiscent of characters from Edwardian England. There’s a modern twist to them, of course, but their mannerisms and lives root them firmly in times long gone.

As previously mentioned, Divine Rivals is set during a god war, and is fought much like that of the First World War. There’s trench warfare, wounded soldiers, men going off to war, and the promise of bombs and death. It’s a clever way to meld real history with fantastical fiction and, even though this obviously isn’t a factual depiction of a real world war, it’s heavily influenced by it. This isn’t a standard war novel by any means, so don’t worry if that isn’t your preferred genre — there’s lots more happening here, but that serves as a startling backdrop for the death and destruction caused by the warring gods.

Divine Rivals is an exceptional start to a new duology, and one I’m so happy I stumbled across. I can’t wait for the next book, but until then I’m going to have to live with the most infuriating of cliffhangers. I’ll be re-reading this before the next book is published, which says a lot about it — I’m not one to read many books more than once, so let that be a testament to just how much I enjoyed it. It really is something special!

This book was everything I was hoping for and more.
I couldn’t put it down for 2 straight days. I was at work thinking about it.
Finally a rival academics that I loved!
Roman and Iris are just amazing in their own ways. And the way they are “rivals” is juts perfection.
I loved how Iris changes in the book as a character and in the relationships she has in the books.
The fact at the end she finally gets it that finally is not by blood but the one you choose! I was so proud of my girl
The entire idea of letters/ typewriter was magical to me. It was the best part of the book and I have nothing negative to say just WHYYYYYY THAT CLIFFHANGER WHYYY

From the first page I knew that I would love this book so much, there were those nostalgic vibes, I felt that autumn scent in the air, the words flowed one after the other and I couldn't stop reading! It was the perfect book, I felt it, I was literally in tune with the book! And so it was, I can finally confirm that Divine Rivals is a truly outstanding read.

The eighteen year old Iris, after the departure of her brother in the trenches and a mother who drowns her pains in alcohol, is forced to find work and intends to win a promotion as a journalist at the Oath Gazzette to survive and to help her mother . Every evening, after work, Iris always writes her brother letters with an ancient typewriter, but never receives a reply, in fact the letters fall into the wrong hands, those of Roman Kitt, his handsome rival at the Oath Gazzette. A magical connection begins to form between the two, but war is upon us and threatens Iris and everyone she loves.

After this book, Iris and Roman have officially become my new comfort characters, protect them at all costs! I love them! The romance is one of the cutest, slow-burning, angsty and gorgeous I've read in years. Everything is extremely sweet but never excessive, their interactions are amazing, the development of the story is perfect and the love letters literally make you dream! I want a Roman Kitt in my life too!

The book is definitely not a "plot-driven" but it doesn't matter because the dreamlike and nostalgic writing and the perfectly characterized characters make this book perfect as it is.

I also loved the setting, a sort of English countryside shaken by a war inspired by WWI and WWII but with a fantasy element: this war is a war fought between two Gods.

Divine Rivals is a really cozy book, with two stunning characters and magical prose! I highly recommend it!

Thanks to HarperCollins UK, Magpie, Netgalley and Rebecca Ross for providing me with this ARC!
A message for Rebecca Ross: please, I'm begging you to send me an ARC of the sequel ASAP! I need it! I can't live without Iris and Roman!

Rebecca Ross has done it again! A masterpiece 😍

It's not very often I am able to finish a book in one day anymore but I struggled to put this one down, I was hooked! I loved the letter aspect of this book and it reminded me a lot of Undertaking of Hart and Mercy but I'm intrigued and nervous on how book two will go but I need it now 😍

Rebecca Ross' third book for me, and her second book that I rated 5 stars. I enjoyed everything about this book. The setting and description of WW also the chemistry of Roman and Iris wow I'm at a loss for words.

The premise is compelling and exquisitely executed; The mystical war and magical typewriters give me goosebumps. When reading this book, it feels like you're being hugged and served hot chocolate. However, there are some moments that are tense to the point of heartbreak. I unknowingly cried several times for letters written by Roman and Iris. I'm very concerned about Roman and Iris' fate, and I'm holding out hope for them until the end. My heart sinks when it ends on a cliffhanger, and I can't wait for book 2!!!!

Rebecca Ross is an auto buy author and this book is an excellent example of why. A romance full of angst and misunderstandings between two war correspondents, with a fantasy twist thrown in. I honestly can't recommend this book highly enough!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

This was utterly captivating! Beautifully written with characters I absolutely loved. The love story between Iris and Roman was so poignant and lovely. Cannot wait for book 2 after that cliffhanger!!