Series · romantic fantasy
Divine Rivals
The Divine Rivals series by Rebecca Ross has 2 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Divine Rivals (2023).
- Books
- 2 books
- First published
- 2023
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: Divine Rivals (2023) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Divine Rivals
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Divine Rivals - Book 2:
Ruthless Vows
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ruthless Vows
About the Divine Rivals series
Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt are rival columnists at a struggling newspaper in a city where two warring gods, Enva and Dacre, are dragging the mortal world into a devastating conflict. When Iris starts writing letters to her missing brother and slipping them beneath her wardrobe door, the letters vanish -- and answers begin arriving in a hand she doesn't recognize. She has no idea she's corresponding with Roman, the infuriating rival she can't stand at work, through a scrap of enchanted magic neither of them understands.
What follows is a slow-burn, epistolary enemies-to-lovers romance wrapped around a war between gods, as both journalists are eventually sent to the front lines to report on a conflict that starts consuming everything around them. Ross builds a wistful, painterly version of a WWI-era world -- typewriters and newsrooms sitting alongside gods who can bless or curse a battlefield -- and lets the central romance unfold almost entirely through longing letters before the leads ever admit the truth to each other's faces.
It's the book that helped kick off BookTok's romantasy wave: gorgeous, melancholy prose, a genuinely surprising identity reveal, low spice, and an ending that trades a tidy resolution for something more bittersweet. Readers who want fantasy romance without a body count of explicit scenes, who love letters-across-distance premises, or who miss the ache of early Cassandra Clare and Laini Taylor, tend to fall hard for this one.
How to read this series
A complete duology, read in publication order: Divine Rivals first, then Ruthless Vows, which picks up immediately where the first book's cliffhanger leaves off -- treat the two as one long story split in half rather than a self-contained book plus a sequel.
Wild Reverence (2025) is set in the same world of warring gods but follows entirely different characters (a goddess named Matilda) in a separate timeline. It's a same-universe standalone, not a numbered continuation of Iris and Roman's story, so it can be read whenever you like -- before, after, or skipped entirely -- without affecting the duology.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Divine Rivals series?
Two. Divine Rivals (2023) and Ruthless Vows (2023) form a complete duology, officially titled Letters of Enchantment.
What order should I read Divine Rivals in?
Publication order: Divine Rivals, then Ruthless Vows. Ruthless Vows continues directly from the first book's ending.
Is there a third Divine Rivals book?
No. There's no announced third book continuing Iris and Roman's story. Wild Reverence (2025) is set in the same world of gods but follows different characters.
Is the Divine Rivals series finished?
Yes, the duology is complete -- the story concludes in Ruthless Vows.
Is Wild Reverence connected to Divine Rivals?
It shares the same universe of warring gods but has its own cast and timeline. It can be read independently and isn't required to enjoy the duology.
Reading order last verified .