Rebecca Ross

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.

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.

Letters of Enchantment #1

Divine Rivals

NO GOD NO CREATURE NO WAR CAN COME BETWEEN THEM The latest from the number one SUNDAY TIMES bestseller Rebecca Ross

Letters of Enchantment #1

Remmi Ahmed

 If only she could bottle this moment. If only she could drink from it in the days to come, to remember this feeling of warmth and wholeness and joy. As if all of her pieces had come back together, far stronger than they had been before she had broken.

A few stars burned above them, extin- guishing one by one as day broke. The first rays of sun illumi- nated the tree boughs overhead, the ivy and mossy stones of the B and B, and the flittering of birds. Light limned Iris's arms and the length of her braid, Roman's angular face and tousled dark hair. 

He reached to feel her presence, which was like a thread of sunlight in his fortress, but there was only darkness.

With each word she typed, the sun sank a little farther until the clouds bled gold. A breath later, the light surrendered to night. The stars smoldered in the darkness

I try to close my eyes and rest, but I'm too tempted to watch the world pass by my window. A world that seems endless and sprawling. A world that makes me feel small and insignificant in the face of its wildness.

She stared into its vastness, listening to the sounds of the city beyond her window, the creaks of the walls. It was strange to her-how close she could be to people and yet how far away and lonely she felt. How the night made things feel more poignant and desperate.

 He didn't answer, but his gaze held hers, and she thought she saw something flicker through him, like a star falling from the cosmos, or a coin underwater, reflecting the sun. Something fierce and vulnerable and very unexpected.

Iris spent the rest of that day in a haze, trying to make sense of things. But it was like her life had shattered into a hundred pieces, and she wasn't sure how to make it fit back together. She thought that perhaps the ache she felt would never diminish, and she bit her nails to the quick as she wandered through the flat like a ghost.

Sometimes I can’t draw a full breath. Between my worry and my fear … my lungs are small because I don’t know where you are. 

It was dark beyond the windows; night had settled over the city, and the lights beyond bled like fallen stars. 

She had been working at the din- er, washing dishes with muted, broken dreams. 

It always smelled oppressive here, like oiled leather and tobacco and the strong sting of aftershave. 

 She was transfixed by his every word, feeling the stitches of the baseball in her hand, the warm summer night, the thrill of the crowd in the stadium-

It was eventide, the moment between darkness and light, when the constellations began to dust the sky and the city lamps flickered to life in reply.

chel

Do you think we could live in a world made only of those things? Death and pain and horror? Loss and agony? It’s not a crime to feel joy, even when things seem hopeless. Iris, look at me. You deserve all the happiness in the world. And I intend to see that you have it.

Your letters have been a light for me to follow. Your words? A sublime feast that fed me on days when I was starving.

She reminded herself that even though she had been left, time and time again, by the people she loved, Roman had come to her.

He found me on my darkest day. He followed me to war, to the front lines. He came between me and Death, taking wounds that were supposed to be mine.

I didn’t realize how much your letters were grounding me, and while I feel far too vulnerable confessing this … I miss them. I miss you and your words.

Even the fierce flower that inspired your mother to name you wasn’t the first thing I thought of. Rather:

iris: transitive verb: to make iridescent.

The days to come will only grow darker. And when you find something good? You hold on to it. You don’t waste time worrying about things that won’t even matter in the end. Rather, you take a risk for that light.

I hope you will find your place, wherever you are. Even in the silence, I hope you will find the words you need to share.

But I think there is a magical link between you and me. A bond that not even distance can break.

Joselly Williams 

i love iris and roman so much the ending BROKE me i just want them to be happy

Hanna Rybchynska

This is more a story during wartime than a fantasy. The ending was super promising and I hope that the second book will be more fantasy-focused.
The romance was cute (a little too fast for my taste) and the war between people and gods is quite an interesting idea. I would like to understand more about the war than about the romance. 
Overall it was a solid 4 star book. Excited for the next one.

Chloé

Rebecca Ross is an automatic buy author for me now honestly.

I put off reading this book because I do not like Romantasy in general.   As I was reading, I did not find any of the characters very appealing, and did not see any chemistry between the two protagonists.  This story would have been better if someone had edited the romance storyline out, and completed the tale in one book instead of creating the duology with Ruthless Vows.  The world building was clunky.  The Djinn books by P. Djeli Clark do a much better job with the early 20th century combined with magic vibe that I think Ross was trying to create here.  His characters are also much more intriguing.  However, I was interested enough by the cliffhanger to start Ruthless Vows.  The book did become more interesting when the characters entered the actual warzone, and I think the story will continue to improve.  

shellybn

This has been a long time coming read for me. I really liked it. The writing was really really good. Actually beautifully done in my opinion. The plot was a little slow in parts but I really enjoyed the whole book and am excited to read the second one!

Priscilla Stanfield

Hannah Bauer

My brain is scrambled I can’t form words, top contender for one of the best books I’ve ever read

I need the read the next one, I can’t be left on that… I hope the second one is just as good !

Romy

Sarah

Je pense que tout ce que je pourrais écrire sur ce livre, ne serais pas assez puissant pour parler de ce que j’ai ressentis durant ma lecture. Quelle œuvre purée. 

Je dis souvent que je déteste les romances quand elles ne sont pas implantées dans un univers fantasy et secondaire à l’intrigue. C’est rare que je m’attache à un couple et une histoire d’amour. 
Mais Roman et Iris ont été une exception, une énorme exception. Roman est parfait, Iris est parfaite. Et ils sont encore meilleurs ensemble.

zlaina

4★ —
i was so sure that this was going to be a five star read but somewhere around the halfway mark, i realised there was next to no world building whatsoever and what i had been envisioning, did not match the vibes or the era or the magic. other than that i loved the story and the romance aspects! i can’t wait to get started on the sequel

Christine

i liked this WAY more than i originally thought i would. i think i was just mostly thrown off by the kind of vague blending of fantasy gods and historical trench warfare but i actually really enjoyed the war aspect aside from the trying to reconcile the clear WWI inspiration and the pure fantasy part of it. HOWEVER. a huge plus. i really liked Iris and Roman and Attie and Marisol and the others. i did Not think i would like Roman that much because i do not generally enjoy the rich love interest character but i did like him a lot which helped me like the romance too - the development from rivals to lovers was well done (view spoiler)[AND MARRIED GIRL WHAT HELP i kind of lost my mind over that bit. pop OFF bro i love the "mortal danger makes us realize we're in love" trope and that was C U T E (hide spoiler)]. i Especially liked the writing snippets. THOSE got me more than anything else, especially when Iris was writing to the mysterious C. BUT THE ENDINGGGHKakhggowjglqgowtoiuewt screaming crying throwing up etc :( 
what IS it with me and war stories. the war parts were good like - it was Happening to these people here and now and it was :(( (so yah i liked that i just had some trouble trying to figure out like - who is leading Enva's forces other than herself & why & how does it correlate to yknow, WWI & how that's changed by being yknow a war between gods instead of just plain humans i guess we got something of an explanation for Dacre) (also i am particularly intrigued by Kitt Sr's reaction to Roman just running off oh Man i wonder how THAT went over) 
quite a good book i like it in the same way i liked sisters of sword & song ngl. i want the sequel now. Winnow & Kitt bro 

edit, a day later: i always without fail realize something about a book the day after i read it. this time it was in the middle of washing like 30 saddlepads in the blazing hot sun and the realization was that Enva's music is very reminiscent of Rilla of Ingleside's Piper. so yes. oh boy. WHY IS IT JUNE

(requisite Christine life update: i would much rather be reading a book in the cool right now than running horses all the way across camp in sunny 80F L to me i guess i am so miserably sleep deprived. also my watch tan is so funny just a band of pure white in the middle of theee darkest tan you've ever seen maybe i should start wearing sunscreen like a smart person would. tomorrow is June WHY!!!!)

aleksandra

3.5/5

Why did I do this to myself?!?

I have to learn to wait until the whole series is over to read it, because my heart can’t handle these cliffhangers. Like, what do you mean I have to wait until December? Thankfully, only December, but December!?!? I need to know what happened sooner. Preferably now. 

I had mixed feelings about picking up this book, because recently I was disappointed by booktok recommendations, but I'm glad I decided to give it a try. 


But, let's get to the point. My thoughts.

I think I could easily rate this book higher if the writing touched me more deeply. It was too shallow for me, and it seemed like something was missing in it. I just wanted to fell more. There were a few moments where I almost shed a tear, so it's not that I didn't like it, but I also didn't love it the way I thought I will. It could be me, as someone who has read a lot of romance novels, but these types of overused verses no longer have any effect on me. 


  
    “See something you like?” he asked, not missing a beat. His gaze remained on his paper, his fingertips flying over the keys."
  


I can't count on my fingers how many times I've read it. 

My thoughts were all over the place while reading because while I enjoyed the beginning and ending, the middle of the book left me wondering if I should even continue. Of course, I'm glad I decided to read on, but normally books of this length would take me a day to finish. Not four, so I wasn't that invested.

It’s supposed to be a fantasy book, but it didn’t feel like one. This may be a less popular opinion, but the author gives us myths, wars between humans and gods, and magical items, but somehow I didn't feel these fantasy vibes here. There were times when I forgot it was fantasy because it felt like I was reading historical fiction with romance. Which this book is, but when some monster was suddenly mentioned, I was like "Ariana what are you doing here?".

I liked our two main characters, but I didn’t love them. I think that’s my main problem here. But, if I don't see them in the second book with their own place on earth, with children (or a dog), a happy marriage and life, I'm calling the police. I’m joking obviously. 

I’m not.


In overall, I think I could easily recommend it, if you are looking for rivals to lovers, slow burn, found family, mythology vibes, historical fantasy and even some tears.


  Letters of Enchantment series

1. Divine Rivals 3.5/5
9. Ruthless Vows tbr

This is the first time I've read a conventional full-on sappy romance novel (something I didn't think I'd ever do), and was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the plot grabbed me & how much I immersed myself in the characters, relationships, and setting despite the endless cliches & contradictions. Beautifully written & excellent for what it is, enjoyed!

matthew

Was entertaining and a quick read. But the plot was mediocre and not worth the hype. Will not be reading the second book. 

nuha ✨️

Was entertaining and a quick read. But the plot was mediocre and not worth the hype. Will not be reading the second book. 



Vicky  Nuñez 

Iris works at a newspaper and the columnist position would be hers if not for Roman Kitt, her rival at the newspaper. And in a world where gods have awoken from slumber and fight using humans as their soldiers, there's plenty to write about. 

I loved the worldbuilding in this book, its such a great concept the gods using humans as shields and daggers to hit each other in the dark. With each page we understand more and more how heart wrenching this was war has been to humanity and each word opens further the wound as we know happiness is not always an option. 

The way this book flipped from swoony to heartbreaking gave me whiplash, but it always kept me asking for more. I can't wait for book two.

yaya

liana

4.5⭐️


⚠️THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MILD SPOILERS⚠️


This book… Oh my goddess this book😭😭
I think this is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read in my whole life. The way the author writes, how it captivates you since the very first page… I don’t have words to describe this incredible book, I don’t think this review will give it enough justice. 

I loved every character. Iris and Roman have my whole entire heart forever and ever. I’m very new to the romance genre and a good friend of mine (Helen ily and I love reading with you and I had so much fun sharing our thoughts and screaming and crying together okbye) told me to give it a try together and that’s what we did. I kinda went into the book without not knowing too much about it, only that it was a rivals to lovers and that mythology was involved. That trope is one of my favorites and I love mythology so I said “why not?” and OH. MY. GODDESS. How it started, how the author makes you feel as if you were Iris yourself (I also felt like in some ways I could identify with her a lot), the banter between her and Roman, how it started as a competition and ended up as one of the most beautiful romances I’ve ever read… so many good things and so many feelings. I actually cried, and I NEVER cry, that’s what you do to me, Rebecca Ross. I loved how they had their own problems and insecurities but loved each other regardless. The letters were each one better than the other, it was so beautiful to see how their relationship kept on progressing with each letter. I think I’m in love with Roman, and I’m not kidding. Every time I picked this book up to read it, he kept on getting better and better and better, and now I’m depressed because he’s the standard and men like him don’t exist so basically I’ll just die alone. 
How can Rebecca Ross portray such incredible and deep feelings just with her writing? How she talks about grief, about being insecure, about war (as if she were there herself), about being/feeling alone, about their love that made me cry and laugh and giggle and smile and so many more things… My heart ached all the time.

As always, unfortunately there’s always a but, and the only “bad” (there’s nothing wrong with this wonderful book) thing I would like to point out is that it barely talks about the main plot (the Gods Enva and Dacre), only at the beginning and at the end. By how it ended (what a huge cliffhanger omfg) it looks like in the next book there will be more of it and I just. can’t. wait. That’s why I’m not giving it 5 stars, but rather 4.5, because I think the second book will blow my mind completely.


I literally underlined the entire book, but here are some of the quotes that I particularly loved🤍:

Grief is a long, difficult process, especially when it is so racked by guilt.

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.

But I think there is a magical link between you and me. A bond that not even distance can break.

The world is about to change. The days to come will only grow darker. And when you find something good? You hold on to it. You don’t waste time worrying about things that won’t even matter in the end. Rather, you take a risk for that light.

You are worthy of love. You are worthy to feel joy right now, even in the darkness.

(I’m going to stop with the quotes now because I’ll just end up writing the entire book).


It is a huge crime that:
 1. This book is not that recognized and it’s really underrated.
2. That I have to wait until april of 2024 for the next book to be released (this is a duology if you’re wondering).
Everyone needs to read this book, period. Like, there’s no excuse. It has mythology, rivals to lovers, amazing main & side characters, he falls first, she thinks she’s writing to her brother (who’s at war) but in reality she’s writing to Roman because of ✨magic✨ (I won’t say how/why) and he knows it is her all along while she doesn’t know it’s him behind the letters, etc etc etc ♾️, and it just fulfills your entire being, it makes you feel whole, complete.



Last but not least, if you’re planning on reading this book, check the trigger warnings before doing so (tw such as: death, war, death of parent, grief, gun violence, alcoholism, medical content, car accident, etc.).







(English is not my first language, if you find any mistakes please let me know).

I like this book but have a lot of questions. I know that it has to do with a war with the gods and some sort of supernatural element, but they don’t really go into any details about the war itself and why it’s taking place. I kept thinking that I would know more and never did. Apparently I need to read book 2 🤷🏻‍♀️

Amanda 

The fantasy aspect of it was intriguing  at first but it wasn’t enough to keep me interested. I wish there was waaaay more world building. The characters were super basic. I thought the romance was cute and loved the letters and magical type writers. You really lost me at the virgin trope & leaving Roman to die crawling after Iris. 

Haley Miller

Ana Luiza

3,5 estrelas
eu sinto que se tivesse lido esse livro com mais tempo e num momento mais calmo da vida teria dado 5 estrelas. infelizmente foi uma leitura muito truncada, mas apesar disso gostei muito e me apeguei muito a historia. quero ler a continuação com certeza e quem sabe um dia reler.
a iris é linda perfeita serio, e o roman é um fofo :)

kayla 

I did not enjoy this at all. I didn't like the writing, I didn't like the characters, I didn't like the romance and I didn't like the plot (if you can even call it a plot). The pacing was horrendous and the actual romance itself was so clunky and poorly structured. 

Chapter 29. 
"She unfortunately had to sit on Roman Kitt's lap.."
The 'FMC has no other option but to sit on the MMC's lap' trope happening in an active warzone, a little gift for you. <3 
Also, the characters felt so flat, they both followed every YA romantasy trope/stereotype that's ever existed; rich boy who doesn't want to follow his father's orders, poor girl with a bad homelife, boy who seems super cocky but is actually super soft and sensitive, insecure girl who has to have her entire career/life revolve around that same one boy. This book annoyed me so much, please. 

The romance itself was so sudden it just came out of nowhere, but I also just don't like romance so this could be a problem, I don't really know or care. Oh, another thing, it's tiny but it still felt clunky and poorly written. The FMC always has to be a pure and innocent virgin trope. :) This book misses nothing! <3 It was such an awkward (doesn't seem purposeful) and shitty interaction, it was thrown in out of no where with no previous indication that they were going to have sex on a hill, not that it'd surprise me at this point, it's just another case of an overused trope. I just.. sigh. 

The ending was predictable too.

I did not enjoy this book, that's all! ☀️
I'm sorry if this comes across as bitchy or rude, I'm just putting my thoughts down as they come, sob.

This is such a cute live story I ate this shit up but also I hate this end starting the next one now

Pia 

chloe rae

2.5*

I genuinely cannot decipher how I feel about this book. I liked some aspects, absolutely loathed others. There just…wasn’t any world building? And the romance left so much to be desired. But then that ending?! I really don’t know. I don’t think I care enough to read the second one. Overall, this just didn’t do it for me. And that’s ok! Onto the next.

The premise of the book is incredibly interesting, though I do think the plot was a little rushed (so much so I did feel a connection to the characters) and the world building could have been so much more intricate. The writing, however, was beautiful. I will read the sequel, begrudgingly. 

this cliffhanger is evil and insane (i dont have the 2nd book yet)

romi

finished feb 1st

this cliffhanger is evil and insane (i dont have the 2nd book yet)

Divine Rivals Letters of Enchantment #1

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