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Letters of Enchantment #2
Ruthless Vows
The epic conclusion to the intensely romantic and beautifully written story that started in Divine Rivals.
Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre’s movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that’s unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor’s reign.
Since waking below in Dacre’s realm, Roman cannot remember his past. But given the reassurance that his memories will return in time, Roman begins to write articles for Dacre, uncertain of his place in the greater scheme of the war. When a strange letter arrives by wardrobe door, Roman is first suspicious, then intrigued. As he strikes up a correspondence with his mysterious pen pal, Roman will soon have to make a decision: to stand with Dacre or betray the god who healed him. And as the days grow darker, inevitably drawing Roman and Iris closer together…the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.
Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre’s movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that’s unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor’s reign.
Since waking below in Dacre’s realm, Roman cannot remember his past. But given the reassurance that his memories will return in time, Roman begins to write articles for Dacre, uncertain of his place in the greater scheme of the war. When a strange letter arrives by wardrobe door, Roman is first suspicious, then intrigued. As he strikes up a correspondence with his mysterious pen pal, Roman will soon have to make a decision: to stand with Dacre or betray the god who healed him. And as the days grow darker, inevitably drawing Roman and Iris closer together…the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published December 26, 2023
About the author
Rebecca Ross
12 books18.9k followersRebecca Ross is the #1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy books for teens and adults.
She has written multiple highly acclaimed duologies, including LETTERS OF ENCHANTMENT, ELEMENTS OF CADENCE, and THE QUEEN’S RISING as well as two standalone novels: DREAMS LIE BENEATH and SISTERS OF SWORD & SONG.
When not writing, she can be found in her garden where she plants wildflowers and story ideas. She resides in Northeast Georgia with her husband and her dog. Find her on Instagram @beccajross or online at www.rebeccarossauthor.com.
Rebecca is represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary & Media.
She has written multiple highly acclaimed duologies, including LETTERS OF ENCHANTMENT, ELEMENTS OF CADENCE, and THE QUEEN’S RISING as well as two standalone novels: DREAMS LIE BENEATH and SISTERS OF SWORD & SONG.
When not writing, she can be found in her garden where she plants wildflowers and story ideas. She resides in Northeast Georgia with her husband and her dog. Find her on Instagram @beccajross or online at www.rebeccarossauthor.com.
Rebecca is represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary & Media.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33,462 reviews
February 11, 2024
➸ 2.5 stars
in this sequel, Ruthless Vows seamlessly picks up where it’s predecessor left off. this story thrusts readers back into the enchanting world of Oath, where unruly magic, war and sleeping gods collide. two weeks have passed since iris winnow reluctantly returned home from the war front with her brother forest. she now grapples with the deceptive calm that envelops her hometown and iris battles with not knowing if roman has survived the bombing.
i was going to rate this 3 stars but something happened at the end that made it lose .5 of a star. that really hurt my feelings, why would you do that 😭😭
damn, these new anticipated releases have not been it at ALL. idk if authors are trying way too hard to live up to their success or we just have high expectations but these releases have not been hitting whatsoever. you all don’t understand how sad it makes me to even rate it this but i just did not enjoy this book whatsoever. nothing felt captivating, it was underwhelming, there was no plot and this book just couldn’t keep my attention.
whilst i was desperate for the continuation of roman and iris’ story i cant help but feel so dissatisfied with this conclusion. i was completely blown away by how romantic, emotional and intimate DR was. i was craving that same feeling again when i picked up ruthless vows. i really just wanted this book to explore more on iris and roman’s love story and their marriage. although their story continues, it feels like they are not the main characters anymore. their chapters fell flat for me, and their conversations were odd and out of place since they were apart for majority of the book, which for the life of me i cannot comprehend why that were apart for 95% of the book. there were so many times were i would pick up my kindle, read one to two chapters, put my kindle back down then pick it back up 1-2 days later.. like that’s how bored i was with this story, it was actually a mission for me to finish this. i was contemplating dnfing so many times but i hate to dnf books. i was waiting for this to get better and it didn’t lmao. i hate when authors throw in the amnesia trope bc the whole connection and the build-up between the characters is erased and then they have to find their way back to each other again. ahhh i just wanted more cheesy, cutesy, lovey-dovey romaniris moments!!
the first half was honestly just a recap of divine rivals, but with different circumstances. i hate how romaniris were apart, it was for way too long for my liking!! i was missing the connection to the characters, the stolen glances, the little touches, the tension and pining. i wish there were more beautiful letters, that’s what made divine rivals so enchanting. i absolutely adored all of the tender moments between roman and iris in the first book, but there was barely any romance in this book which is so disappointing (apart from chapter 35, that chapter was so tender and will be next fixation aaa my heart!!!) the first book built it up perfectly to continue it on for this story. like i hated how they got married so quickly so i really thought it was going to be explored and how they will adapt to marriage after they are reunited but there was absolutely no depth to their characters. it seems that the author doesn’t know how balance and differentiate between the romance and fantasy plot. since divine rivals was lacking fantasy, ruthless vows was lacking romance.
i know we asked for more world-building and more on the gods but please we didn’t mean take the focus off of romaniris 😩 the war between the gods felt so sloppy to me, so really you did this for what?? nothing 😭 dacre has no personality beyond being entitled, controlling, mind-numblingly stupid and an actual joke. are you seriously expecting me to take him as a villain when he didn’t even feel threatening.. idk why but i just kept picturing him as dr. evil from austin powers. for a god with big plans why was he so trusting towards roman?? it didn’t make sense to me, he literally told roman all of his plans.. like sir, are you dumb or stupid?? he was practically the main character in this book and it took all of the focus off of romaniris. also enva felt like a background character and a puppet master. idk what the point of her character was bc she just pops up out of no where at the end to save the day.
i also think the author was trying to do too much and therefore none of it was executed perfectly. introducing the ‘graveyard’ felt unnecessary bc they had no important relevance to this story whatsoever.
the tone of changes between chapters was so ??? in one chapter you have a god causing massive destruction and you will feel the urgency and think “omg what is dacre going to do now?” but then in the next chapter you will have the characters at a cafe drinking tea and eating scones or attending family dinners like there isn’t a war occuring. why give me a rush and make me feel super anxious only for it to be ruined..
this story fell flat for me, i just didn’t feel that spark like i did with divine rivals. i will always applaud rebecca ross for her beautiful writing and her lyrical prose. although this book wasn’t enjoyable for me, romaniris will always have a special place in my heart. i’m keeping them in my pocket forever 🥹
#1 Divine Rivals — 4.25 stars
#2 Ruthless Vows — 2.5 stars
”write me a story where there is no ending, kitt. write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
in this sequel, Ruthless Vows seamlessly picks up where it’s predecessor left off. this story thrusts readers back into the enchanting world of Oath, where unruly magic, war and sleeping gods collide. two weeks have passed since iris winnow reluctantly returned home from the war front with her brother forest. she now grapples with the deceptive calm that envelops her hometown and iris battles with not knowing if roman has survived the bombing.
i was going to rate this 3 stars but something happened at the end that made it lose .5 of a star. that really hurt my feelings, why would you do that 😭😭
damn, these new anticipated releases have not been it at ALL. idk if authors are trying way too hard to live up to their success or we just have high expectations but these releases have not been hitting whatsoever. you all don’t understand how sad it makes me to even rate it this but i just did not enjoy this book whatsoever. nothing felt captivating, it was underwhelming, there was no plot and this book just couldn’t keep my attention.
whilst i was desperate for the continuation of roman and iris’ story i cant help but feel so dissatisfied with this conclusion. i was completely blown away by how romantic, emotional and intimate DR was. i was craving that same feeling again when i picked up ruthless vows. i really just wanted this book to explore more on iris and roman’s love story and their marriage. although their story continues, it feels like they are not the main characters anymore. their chapters fell flat for me, and their conversations were odd and out of place since they were apart for majority of the book, which for the life of me i cannot comprehend why that were apart for 95% of the book. there were so many times were i would pick up my kindle, read one to two chapters, put my kindle back down then pick it back up 1-2 days later.. like that’s how bored i was with this story, it was actually a mission for me to finish this. i was contemplating dnfing so many times but i hate to dnf books. i was waiting for this to get better and it didn’t lmao. i hate when authors throw in the amnesia trope bc the whole connection and the build-up between the characters is erased and then they have to find their way back to each other again. ahhh i just wanted more cheesy, cutesy, lovey-dovey romaniris moments!!
"the problem is... i want to hear from you at all hours. i want to read your words. i am greedy for them. i am hungry for them."
the first half was honestly just a recap of divine rivals, but with different circumstances. i hate how romaniris were apart, it was for way too long for my liking!! i was missing the connection to the characters, the stolen glances, the little touches, the tension and pining. i wish there were more beautiful letters, that’s what made divine rivals so enchanting. i absolutely adored all of the tender moments between roman and iris in the first book, but there was barely any romance in this book which is so disappointing (apart from chapter 35, that chapter was so tender and will be next fixation aaa my heart!!!) the first book built it up perfectly to continue it on for this story. like i hated how they got married so quickly so i really thought it was going to be explored and how they will adapt to marriage after they are reunited but there was absolutely no depth to their characters. it seems that the author doesn’t know how balance and differentiate between the romance and fantasy plot. since divine rivals was lacking fantasy, ruthless vows was lacking romance.
i know we asked for more world-building and more on the gods but please we didn’t mean take the focus off of romaniris 😩 the war between the gods felt so sloppy to me, so really you did this for what?? nothing 😭 dacre has no personality beyond being entitled, controlling, mind-numblingly stupid and an actual joke. are you seriously expecting me to take him as a villain when he didn’t even feel threatening.. idk why but i just kept picturing him as dr. evil from austin powers. for a god with big plans why was he so trusting towards roman?? it didn’t make sense to me, he literally told roman all of his plans.. like sir, are you dumb or stupid?? he was practically the main character in this book and it took all of the focus off of romaniris. also enva felt like a background character and a puppet master. idk what the point of her character was bc she just pops up out of no where at the end to save the day.
i also think the author was trying to do too much and therefore none of it was executed perfectly. introducing the ‘graveyard’ felt unnecessary bc they had no important relevance to this story whatsoever.
the tone of changes between chapters was so ??? in one chapter you have a god causing massive destruction and you will feel the urgency and think “omg what is dacre going to do now?” but then in the next chapter you will have the characters at a cafe drinking tea and eating scones or attending family dinners like there isn’t a war occuring. why give me a rush and make me feel super anxious only for it to be ruined..
this story fell flat for me, i just didn’t feel that spark like i did with divine rivals. i will always applaud rebecca ross for her beautiful writing and her lyrical prose. although this book wasn’t enjoyable for me, romaniris will always have a special place in my heart. i’m keeping them in my pocket forever 🥹
let our breaths twine and our blood become one, until our bones return to dust.
#1 Divine Rivals — 4.25 stars
#2 Ruthless Vows — 2.5 stars
May 1, 2024
➳
1/5 stars
“Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
This highly anticipated read of last year left me utterly disappointed, and the excitement turned into a month-long struggle to finish. It's baffling how all my anticipated reads from that year ended up being letdowns. I literally forced myself through it, and the disappointment was real 😭
This book left me utterly disappointed. I know we asked for more depth in the backstory of gods and some world-building, but it lacked the cute, angsty moments between Roman and Iris that I was eagerly waiting for. It breaks my heart to give it this rating, but no matter how hard I tried, it simply didn't live up to my expectations. Considering "Divine Rivals" was one of my best reads last year, this one turned out to be a complete opposite – a significant letdown that left me genuinely disheartened.
Honestly, in this book, Roman and Iris didn't even felt like the main characters at all. Their chapters were strangely bland and boring, making it hard to believe these were the same characters I once loved. The conversations felt out of place and nonchalant, leaving me wondering why they spent most of the book apart. The amnesia trope, which could have been intriguing, fell flat in Rebeca's execution. It left me yearning for a much better portrayal than what unfolded in this narrative.
Divine Rivals' enchantment for me lay in the love letters, and I eagerly anticipated those cute exchanges, but alas, it turned out to be another source of disappointment. By the end, I was convinced there wouldn't be any mind-blowing twist to rekindle my interest, and unfortunately, that proved true. The ending felt bland and predictable. While I appreciated the world-building, it felt disheartening to see Roman and Iris being the side characters in their own book. The only main character was Dacre which seemed to embody only entitlement with a lack of any other personality trait. It's hard to take him seriously, especially considering his lackluster use of godly powers and unwarranted trust in Roman.
Enva's constant appearances felt more like background noise than meaningful contributions, especially given her seemingly vast powers that went underutilized. As for "the graveyard," its relevance remained elusive throughout, leaving me wondering if the author threw it in as a page-filling afterthought. Overall, it was disappointing to see potentially intriguing elements fall flat in execution.
The war scenes felt strangely disconnected. On one hand, there were vivid depictions of mass destruction, yet on the other, people were casually attending balls and celebrations as if unaffected by the chaos. This portrayal seemed irrational, lacking the depth of struggles and pain one expects in wartime narratives. The juxtaposition of these elements left the depiction of war feeling awkward and poorly executed.
The story fell flat for me. The first half was just a tedious recap, and the second half felt like an irrelevant mix of celebrations and scattered destruction. The absence of the cute, lovey-dovey moments between Romaniris left a void, while Dacre's lack of personality made him uninteresting. Enva, for me, was nothing more than a forgettable background character. Although I admire Rebecca's enchanting writing, this book failed to capture my enjoyment.
°˖➴ Overall, if you cherished divine rivals and are contemplating picking this up, I'd say save yourself the trouble. It's a disappointing follow-up that falls short of expectations. You won't miss out on anything worthwhile. Thank youuu! 💌
౨ৎ QUOTES ✧˖°.
➳ "For anyone who sought a different realm through a wardrobe door, Who wrote a letter and is still waiting for a reply, Or who dreams of stories and bleeds words."
➳ "Do you ever feel as if you wear armor, day after day? That when people look at you, they see only the shine of steel that you’ve so carefully encased yourself in?"
➳ "You may not be a goddess, but nor am I a god. Despite our mundane lives, perhaps we make our own magic with words"
➳ "Should I be surprised that I was falling in love with you a second time? Should I be surprised that your words found me here, even in the darkness? That I’ve been carrying your E. letters close to my heart like they are a shield to protect me?"
➳ "They told him she was strong and brave, but also that she was his. Their souls weren’t mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side."
:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.
ᥫ᭡ pre-read review ✧˖°.
OMGGG GUESS WHAT!?!??!? MY BOOK JUST ARRIVED AND NOW IM LOSING MY SHIT OVER IT LMFAOOO 😭🤌🏻
"I write this to you in the dark, with only a sliver of moonlight on my desk...
After you read this letter, I need you to burn it."
istg rebecca release the book before I jump off the cliff lmaoo 😩🤌🏻
“Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
This highly anticipated read of last year left me utterly disappointed, and the excitement turned into a month-long struggle to finish. It's baffling how all my anticipated reads from that year ended up being letdowns. I literally forced myself through it, and the disappointment was real 😭
This book left me utterly disappointed. I know we asked for more depth in the backstory of gods and some world-building, but it lacked the cute, angsty moments between Roman and Iris that I was eagerly waiting for. It breaks my heart to give it this rating, but no matter how hard I tried, it simply didn't live up to my expectations. Considering "Divine Rivals" was one of my best reads last year, this one turned out to be a complete opposite – a significant letdown that left me genuinely disheartened.
Honestly, in this book, Roman and Iris didn't even felt like the main characters at all. Their chapters were strangely bland and boring, making it hard to believe these were the same characters I once loved. The conversations felt out of place and nonchalant, leaving me wondering why they spent most of the book apart. The amnesia trope, which could have been intriguing, fell flat in Rebeca's execution. It left me yearning for a much better portrayal than what unfolded in this narrative.
Divine Rivals' enchantment for me lay in the love letters, and I eagerly anticipated those cute exchanges, but alas, it turned out to be another source of disappointment. By the end, I was convinced there wouldn't be any mind-blowing twist to rekindle my interest, and unfortunately, that proved true. The ending felt bland and predictable. While I appreciated the world-building, it felt disheartening to see Roman and Iris being the side characters in their own book. The only main character was Dacre which seemed to embody only entitlement with a lack of any other personality trait. It's hard to take him seriously, especially considering his lackluster use of godly powers and unwarranted trust in Roman.
Enva's constant appearances felt more like background noise than meaningful contributions, especially given her seemingly vast powers that went underutilized. As for "the graveyard," its relevance remained elusive throughout, leaving me wondering if the author threw it in as a page-filling afterthought. Overall, it was disappointing to see potentially intriguing elements fall flat in execution.
The war scenes felt strangely disconnected. On one hand, there were vivid depictions of mass destruction, yet on the other, people were casually attending balls and celebrations as if unaffected by the chaos. This portrayal seemed irrational, lacking the depth of struggles and pain one expects in wartime narratives. The juxtaposition of these elements left the depiction of war feeling awkward and poorly executed.
The story fell flat for me. The first half was just a tedious recap, and the second half felt like an irrelevant mix of celebrations and scattered destruction. The absence of the cute, lovey-dovey moments between Romaniris left a void, while Dacre's lack of personality made him uninteresting. Enva, for me, was nothing more than a forgettable background character. Although I admire Rebecca's enchanting writing, this book failed to capture my enjoyment.
°˖➴ Overall, if you cherished divine rivals and are contemplating picking this up, I'd say save yourself the trouble. It's a disappointing follow-up that falls short of expectations. You won't miss out on anything worthwhile. Thank youuu! 💌
౨ৎ QUOTES ✧˖°.
➳ "For anyone who sought a different realm through a wardrobe door, Who wrote a letter and is still waiting for a reply, Or who dreams of stories and bleeds words."
➳ "Do you ever feel as if you wear armor, day after day? That when people look at you, they see only the shine of steel that you’ve so carefully encased yourself in?"
➳ "You may not be a goddess, but nor am I a god. Despite our mundane lives, perhaps we make our own magic with words"
➳ "Should I be surprised that I was falling in love with you a second time? Should I be surprised that your words found me here, even in the darkness? That I’ve been carrying your E. letters close to my heart like they are a shield to protect me?"
➳ "They told him she was strong and brave, but also that she was his. Their souls weren’t mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side."
:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.
ᥫ᭡ pre-read review ✧˖°.
OMGGG GUESS WHAT!?!??!? MY BOOK JUST ARRIVED AND NOW IM LOSING MY SHIT OVER IT LMFAOOO 😭🤌🏻
"I write this to you in the dark, with only a sliver of moonlight on my desk...
After you read this letter, I need you to burn it."
istg rebecca release the book before I jump off the cliff lmaoo 😩🤌🏻
January 1, 2024
"Let me be your secret, then. Tuck my words into your pocket. Let them be your armor."
Wow. What a fantastic way to end the duology and such a beautifully crafted story. I was moved; the book I read was not mere words, they were emotions, heartfelt moments, something I envisioned and felt so real. It was not just reading, it was breathing and living this book- this duology.
With 2023 coming to an end, it's books like these that make me realize why I love reading. Both, Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows are written to perfection. The story, the characters, the fantasy elements, the letters, and the writing are immensely captivating. 🤌
I am aware of the mixed reviews for this book and am sad to see it did not work for everyone the way it worked for me. But that's the beauty- reading is subjective. Also, I noticed the thing that might have worked for me was the fact I did not immediately jump from Divine Rivals to this. The reason being, am aware that the pacing is on the slower side and I had to put some gap in between those two reads. 🤷♀️
Coming back to this book, I found the start to be super intriguing- I didn't expect a different pov prologue. People who found Divine Rivals not focusing more on the fantasy elements will like this book better, as the gods- Dacre and Enva are far more involved and the fantasy elements are there throughout. It's a YA book so don't expect any hardcore scenes or history between the gods.
🗡Iris- Honestly, I love her. I admire her, especially after that ending. She is such a strong woman and so loyal to those she loves. She faced so many difficulties and yet she did not waver, she was vulnerable yes, but she molded her emotions and love into her strength. Her love for Roman, her patience levels with him was one worth giving an applause.
🖋Roman- MY LOVE. I love him so much, I swear words will fail to describe. He is literally perfect. The man can do no wrong, even when he has no recollection of events, places, time, or people. The way he is so loyal to humanity, to his love, to his heart and his wife was everything to read. I loved his scenes and struggles so much. The way he dealt with Dacre was so intense yet so powerful. He wasn't shy to admit things, to cower behind, to claim his as his own and I loved that. I can write a whole damn essay on him but saving y'all some time.
☯️Dacre and Enva- Such complex characters. Although Enva tried to represent "good" and balanced things, she represented herself as a savior. Even with her big reveal, it didn't impact me much as I found it to be a bit predictable. Yet, I found Dacre and his villainous personality to be more powerful. He outshines Enva in his evil ways. There certainly was more of him than her and I won't complain cause he did bring out so much good in Roman.
❤Supporting characters- Attie, Tobias, Forest and Sarah were so good. Their dynamic was amazing to read. The chemistry between them was so endearing, the banter so fun, like I was giggling and blushing. I know we were all angry with Forest, but he truly impressed me in this one. I liked Sarah since the beginning of Divine Rivals..
"Did you think I would let him tell me when and how to touch you? Did you think I would let him steal this last moment from me? When I surrender only to you, take you in my hands and burn with you before the end comes?"
The romance- Y'all are not prepared. It's so angsty. The mutual pining. The letters. The dangers of being in enemy territory and yet yearning for the other. The slow burn. The loyalty. The flirting. The claiming. The protectiveness. The throwing themselves in danger to protect the other. The facing a god but never betraying the one you love. EVERYTHING about the romance was done brilliantly. Iris and Roman have my entire heart and deserve each and every bit of happiness and love. I love the love they have for each other. ❤️🔥❤️🔥
My heart is in pieces with that ending. I didn't expect that. I loved the last 100 pages- they were intense, action packed, romantic and full of pain, hugs and things I can't really find words to explain. I wish some character arcs had worked out different cause my heart will not recover anytime soon.
I hope someday she decides to write a spin off for Attie. I would love that as am not ready to say goodbye honestly.
~•~•~
Dear Rebecca Ross,
Am in need of immediate care package after that ending of the first book.
-SK
Wow. What a fantastic way to end the duology and such a beautifully crafted story. I was moved; the book I read was not mere words, they were emotions, heartfelt moments, something I envisioned and felt so real. It was not just reading, it was breathing and living this book- this duology.
With 2023 coming to an end, it's books like these that make me realize why I love reading. Both, Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows are written to perfection. The story, the characters, the fantasy elements, the letters, and the writing are immensely captivating. 🤌
I am aware of the mixed reviews for this book and am sad to see it did not work for everyone the way it worked for me. But that's the beauty- reading is subjective. Also, I noticed the thing that might have worked for me was the fact I did not immediately jump from Divine Rivals to this. The reason being, am aware that the pacing is on the slower side and I had to put some gap in between those two reads. 🤷♀️
Coming back to this book, I found the start to be super intriguing- I didn't expect a different pov prologue. People who found Divine Rivals not focusing more on the fantasy elements will like this book better, as the gods- Dacre and Enva are far more involved and the fantasy elements are there throughout. It's a YA book so don't expect any hardcore scenes or history between the gods.
🗡Iris- Honestly, I love her. I admire her, especially after that ending. She is such a strong woman and so loyal to those she loves. She faced so many difficulties and yet she did not waver, she was vulnerable yes, but she molded her emotions and love into her strength. Her love for Roman, her patience levels with him was one worth giving an applause.
🖋Roman- MY LOVE. I love him so much, I swear words will fail to describe. He is literally perfect. The man can do no wrong, even when he has no recollection of events, places, time, or people. The way he is so loyal to humanity, to his love, to his heart and his wife was everything to read. I loved his scenes and struggles so much. The way he dealt with Dacre was so intense yet so powerful. He wasn't shy to admit things, to cower behind, to claim his as his own and I loved that. I can write a whole damn essay on him but saving y'all some time.
☯️Dacre and Enva- Such complex characters. Although Enva tried to represent "good" and balanced things, she represented herself as a savior. Even with her big reveal, it didn't impact me much as I found it to be a bit predictable. Yet, I found Dacre and his villainous personality to be more powerful. He outshines Enva in his evil ways. There certainly was more of him than her and I won't complain cause he did bring out so much good in Roman.
❤Supporting characters- Attie, Tobias, Forest and Sarah were so good. Their dynamic was amazing to read. The chemistry between them was so endearing, the banter so fun, like I was giggling and blushing. I know we were all angry with Forest, but he truly impressed me in this one. I liked Sarah since the beginning of Divine Rivals..
"Did you think I would let him tell me when and how to touch you? Did you think I would let him steal this last moment from me? When I surrender only to you, take you in my hands and burn with you before the end comes?"
The romance- Y'all are not prepared. It's so angsty. The mutual pining. The letters. The dangers of being in enemy territory and yet yearning for the other. The slow burn. The loyalty. The flirting. The claiming. The protectiveness. The throwing themselves in danger to protect the other. The facing a god but never betraying the one you love. EVERYTHING about the romance was done brilliantly. Iris and Roman have my entire heart and deserve each and every bit of happiness and love. I love the love they have for each other. ❤️🔥❤️🔥
My heart is in pieces with that ending. I didn't expect that. I loved the last 100 pages- they were intense, action packed, romantic and full of pain, hugs and things I can't really find words to explain. I wish some character arcs had worked out different cause my heart will not recover anytime soon.
I hope someday she decides to write a spin off for Attie. I would love that as am not ready to say goodbye honestly.
~•~•~
Dear Rebecca Ross,
Am in need of immediate care package after that ending of the first book.
-SK
Want to read
August 4, 2023IT'S COMING OUT THIS YEAR??!!??!? WTF MOVE OUT OF THE WAY EVERYONE!!!!
October 18, 2023
TRUST ME YALL ARENT READY FOR THIS
Somehow even more tender (and excruciating) than the first book. Rediscovered love + community takes the center stage here in exquisite fashion. Rebecca Ross has proven again and again to be the kind of writer sowing pure magic into her words and worlds.
My full review will be written at a later date and posted on my blog.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing this arc
Somehow even more tender (and excruciating) than the first book. Rediscovered love + community takes the center stage here in exquisite fashion. Rebecca Ross has proven again and again to be the kind of writer sowing pure magic into her words and worlds.
My full review will be written at a later date and posted on my blog.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing this arc
January 12, 2024
undeniably 6 stars. flawless.
i don’t even have the words to do this duology justice… a book is just words on paper and yet this book has effectively destroyed me. for anyone expecting this book to be painful… it certainly is.
excruciating, tender, and beyond beautiful with some of my favorite prose that i have ever had the pleasure of reading. this book did not let me down in any way.
iris and roman share a love that is so soft while still being strong and unwavering. their connection is written so beautifully that i experienced every emotion from agony to longing to hope to hopelessness. tender love is something i don’t read enough of and i don’t think i would ever tire of it. if you don’t believe in love, please let these two fictional characters convince you otherwise.
"write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. write to me and fill my empty spaces." 🥺
i’m not sure i am ever going to recover from this book, so please excuse me while i go order every cover edition and mourn that this duology is over for the rest of my mortal existence. 🫶🏻
you can find my spoiler-free review for Divine Rivals (book one) here
i don’t even have the words to do this duology justice… a book is just words on paper and yet this book has effectively destroyed me. for anyone expecting this book to be painful… it certainly is.
excruciating, tender, and beyond beautiful with some of my favorite prose that i have ever had the pleasure of reading. this book did not let me down in any way.
iris and roman share a love that is so soft while still being strong and unwavering. their connection is written so beautifully that i experienced every emotion from agony to longing to hope to hopelessness. tender love is something i don’t read enough of and i don’t think i would ever tire of it. if you don’t believe in love, please let these two fictional characters convince you otherwise.
"write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. write to me and fill my empty spaces." 🥺
i’m not sure i am ever going to recover from this book, so please excuse me while i go order every cover edition and mourn that this duology is over for the rest of my mortal existence. 🫶🏻
you can find my spoiler-free review for Divine Rivals (book one) here
February 4, 2024
“You may not be a goddess, but nor am I a god. Despite our mundane lives, perhaps we make our own magic with words.”
Divine rivals will forever have my entire heart as it held such magic but this one unfortunately didn’t quite capture it.
3.5 stars
“I would love to see your words catch fire with mine.”
Rebecca’s lyrical prose is what enamored so many of us with her way of weaving together an unparalleled love story and the emotions felt between Iris and Roman face to face and word for word in divine rivals and the same could be said here—but not entirely.
~Attempting to make this as spoiler free as possible~
My qualms with this:
1. The gods. They were such a joke. I personally didn’t care about them in divine rivals and was merely interested to know about them. So for those that wanted more world building in regards to the fantasy this one is for you as it had plenty that it overshadowed the romance imo. But it overall felt so mundane and the world building fell flat for me. I know this is YA but there’s more telling than showing. Now, I didn’t mind the prospect of war but the whole purpose of it was senseless so therefore it took my enjoyment away as the romance had the opportunity to be explored more but instead we were met with a pointless war and weakly structured gods and the resolution with them was also weak. you mean to tell me someone able and knowing of something to defeat a certain person but not doing so over a ridiculous reason and upheld that reason at the expense of others?? I guess the title of the book makes sense now but they just sat their ass down on the ability to do so while so much chaos ensued.
2. The pacing. It was less of a condensed experience as It took me quite some time to be able to get fully immersed in the book compared to DR. I found myself picking up my kindle and putting it down at different points in the book telling myself I’m savoring this and possibly feeling slumpy but then I saw others expressing the same so i wasn’t alone in feeling that way. End of part 3 to part 4 is where things picked up and felt the most climatic yet anticlimactic but I admit I was so on edge as a result of everything happening given the emotions were running high that I felt some adrenaline coursing through me in anticipation
3. the romance. Because of the obvious obstacle, I understand it’s part of the reason we didn’t get so much but did that reason have to drag to 40%? It felt like we only got 15-20% romance in this and I was literally living off the crumbs 😔 Some of their letters were cute and reminiscent of those in DR but somehow vague here which is partially understandable considering nothing could be expressed freely? Idk. After book 1’s events, they didn’t have time to explore their relationship more and see each other and one chapter was made indicative of that so I wish we could’ve gotten more of them doing so and seeing the progression of it.
4.The many plot holes that I won’t spoil but I was left with some unanswered questions. And forest? I was surprised to change my mind about him and feel like Marisol and Keegan should’ve switched places..
Onto what I did enjoy:
“Their souls weren’t mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side”
The full circle role reversal moment in one of Iris and Roman’s letters (I screamed here), their reunion and their face to face interactions even though it was limited, ✨ chapter 35✨ 🥹 some of chapter 36, chapter 44 towards the end and the ending (although a bit rushed) had my heart and attention. It reminds me of chapter 41 in a curse for true love (Iykyk). The problem evidently was the lack of more and excess of other things here for me.
Also, the multi pov chapter as it showed the war happening in real time for certain people and you could truly feel the beauty/angst of it. which brings me to addressing that I did manage to feel some of the emotions throughout the book at certain points especially given the anguish and pain Iris felt but mostly in the last part of this as I teared up lol
Roman and Iris became one of my favorites last year given Rebecca’s ability to write their characters so intricately, exquisitely, and relatable—other than their words feeling like magic on paper and it felt like that here yet it didn’t despite them having gone through so much. I could go on but I’m happy they got their happy ending 🥺 they will both be incredibly missed *holding out hope Rebecca considers a novella as I want more of them and possibly attie*
In all, I know reading is subjective and I really wish I fully loved this as so many of you did. It pains me giving this lower than 5 stars (it took me days to process this) knowing Roman and Iris deserve ♾️♾️ stars and this is their conclusion but so many things were underwhelming and many plot points some of us would’ve wanted more than what we were met with that it fell flat despite enjoying some of it. To me, divine rivals could’ve been wrapped up with a longer page length and a different conclusion. But, in all honesty, this wasn’t a bad book—it just wasn’t what I expected.
Divine rivals review
Some quotes:
”How I love to lose to you. How I love to read your words and hear the thoughts that sharpen your mind. And how I would love to be on my knees before you now, surrendering to you and you alone.”
“Write me a story where you keep me up late every night with your typing, and I hide messages in your pockets for you to find when you’re at work. “Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
“Let me be your secret, then. Tuck my words into your pocket. Let them be your armor.”
“P.S. I noticed there was an asterisk by the word “outshine” in your previous letter. A typo? 😂
“She was very good at burying things like that, her anguish and her sorrow and sometimes even the reality of what she faced. But she didn’t quite know how to let them go without losing vital pieces of herself.
-
ITS TIME 🥹 I missed our babies 🫂
-
Fairyloot extra bonus chapter of Romans pov 🥺
bonus chapter
-
The date for Ruthless Vows release date has changed!! New publication date is December 26th of this year and not next year. I could cry 🥲
March 10, 2024
on hold for now because it kind of bored me 😣 which is so sad because this was my most anticipated release of 2023!
----
MY COPY ARRIVED, FINALLY <3 i can't wait to meet the loves of our lives again!
----
MY COPY ARRIVED, FINALLY <3 i can't wait to meet the loves of our lives again!
Want to read
October 7, 2023dacre watch your back bc i’m coming to whoop your ass 🔪
January 26, 2024
4 ⭐️ I’m not ready to say goodbye to Roman and Iris
"Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ historical romantasy
✨ god war
✨ magical realism
✨ pen pals
✨ memory loss
✨ action-packed
✨ high stakes
✨ angst
✨ found family / strong familial bonds
✨ dual POV
✨ HEA
✨ TW: war, grief, loss of loved one, violence, chronic pain
My Thoughts:
Divine Rivals was pure and utter magic, so I knew it was going to be a challenge to follow up. Unfortunately, I didn't love Ruthless Vows as much as Divine Rivals, however, I still think it was a great conclusion to such a beautiful story.
What I loved:
Roman and Iris. 😭💕 These two may have the most beautiful connection and love story I’ve ever read about. Amazing characters that are both so likable, but together they are as brilliant as the sun. I love them both with my whole heart.
The action. This story is a lot more centered on the war, and Iris and Roman go through A LOT of harrowing / dangerous things to protect the people they love and save the world.
The found family / familial love. The way Roman, Iris, and their friends rely on one another is beautiful. Love drives them and without it, they would have all been lost.
The ending (the last 25%) has me in a chokehold. Just . . . WOW. So much happens and I could not put the book down! It’s high stakes and there’s a lot of things at play, so I was constantly at the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happens next.
Rebecca Ross’ writing. This woman is a MASTER of words. Every sentence is wonderfully crafted with lyrical and enchanting prose. Reading this feels like a beautiful dream where you can’t help but fall in love with this story and the characters because Rebecca’s words captivate you from the first sentence.
What I didn't love:
This was a lot more war-plot focused, which I totally get, but it just didn’t intrigue me as much. In Divine Rivals, I really fell in love with the beautiful romance between Iris and Roman, but that took a backseat to battles, war-planning, and understanding the gods. And even though there was a big focus on the gods/war, I still didn’t really feel like it was THAT complex of an issue, so this plot wasn’t as gripping as I expected. It wasn’t bad, but the best parts about DV are the characters and romance so I think when reading this I was always waiting for more of those moments.
To add to the point above, the first 60% of this story was a bit slow. There was nothing wrong with it, but I think since the focus was more on the war instead of the romance, and then since Roman and Iris were separated for so long (less dialogue between them), the plot just felt like it dragged a little. I get why this was a more war focused story and why Iris and Roman were separated for so long, but it just didn’t give me that all consuming reading experience I felt with the first book.
I also think maybe I just need to reread this and go at a slower pace instead of reading for 7 straight hours. I think if I wasn’t in such a rush to get to the end and find out exactly how Iris and Roman’s love story ended, I might enjoy the journey a little bit more - including the war/gods plot. So expect an update in my review at some point.
But overall, this is a great sequel and conclusion to the story! The Letters of Enchantment duology is one of my top series ever and I will be recommending it to everyone till the day I die. 🫶
-
Letters of Enchantement Duology + Ratings:
1. Divine Rivals: ∞ ⭐️
2. Ruthless Vows: 4 ⭐️
-
Favorite Quotes: *Read at your own risk*
But all good things eventually came to an end. And all songs had a final verse.
_______
My name is Roman Carver Kitt, and this is a dead man's story.
_______
The magic still gathers, and the past is gilded; I see the beauty in what has been but only because I have tasted both sorrow and joy in equal measures.
_______
"You may not be a goddess, but nor am I a god. Despite our mundane lives, perhaps we can make out own magic with words."
_______
"I've dreamt of you. I think you and I were friends before I left for the war cause."
"Friends?"
"Or enemies."
"You and I were never enemies, Kit. Not exactly."
"When were we something more?"
Yes. I'm your wife."
_______
She would have known it was him touching her, even if her eyes had been closed.
_______
"Should I be surprised that I was falling in love with you a second time? Should I be surprised that your words found me here, even in the darkness?"
_______
"How I love to lose you. How I love to read your words and hear the thoughts that sharpen your mind. And how I would love to be on my knees before you now, surrendering to you and you alone."
_______
"I confess that I am hungry for your words."
_______
"I am leaning more on the side of impossibility these days. I am leaning towards the edge of magic."
_______
"Let us dare to change the tides. Write to me and fill my empty space."
_______
"You remember how you said that word to me in the infirmary, post-trenches? You believed I had come to the Bluff to outshine you. And I would speak this word back to you now, but only because I would love to see you burn with splendor. I would love to see your words catch fire with mine."
_______
"Gods, you looked gorgeous at tea. I would like to take you to all the places you love most in the city, and then beyond. Think about them. Make me a list. We'll go anywhere you want to. We'll go together when the war is over."
_______
He sank to his knees before her, his hands touching those tender marks on her skin. They told him she was strong and brave, but also that she was his. Their souls weren't mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side.
_______
She saw him as he saw her. With eyes open, with eyes shut.
_______
There is no magic above or below that will ever steal this from me again.
_______
"Did you think that I would let him steal this last moment from me? When I would surrender only to you, take you in my hands, and burn with you before the end comes?"
_______
"I betrayed you because I love her. . . You didn't save me, but Iris did . . . I would betray you a hundredfold. I would betray you a thousandfold for her."
_______
"I believe I'm quite good at this."
"And what's that, Winnow?"
"At taking you by surprise, Kitt."
_______
And that, he has come to realize, was when his best words emerged. When he was with her.
_______
"I look forward to the next chapter. The one you will write in your story, as well as the one we write together."
_______
"Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces."
WHAT TO EXPECT:
✨ historical romantasy
✨ god war
✨ magical realism
✨ pen pals
✨ memory loss
✨ action-packed
✨ high stakes
✨ angst
✨ found family / strong familial bonds
✨ dual POV
✨ HEA
✨ TW: war, grief, loss of loved one, violence, chronic pain
My Thoughts:
Divine Rivals was pure and utter magic, so I knew it was going to be a challenge to follow up. Unfortunately, I didn't love Ruthless Vows as much as Divine Rivals, however, I still think it was a great conclusion to such a beautiful story.
What I loved:
Roman and Iris. 😭💕 These two may have the most beautiful connection and love story I’ve ever read about. Amazing characters that are both so likable, but together they are as brilliant as the sun. I love them both with my whole heart.
The action. This story is a lot more centered on the war, and Iris and Roman go through A LOT of harrowing / dangerous things to protect the people they love and save the world.
The found family / familial love. The way Roman, Iris, and their friends rely on one another is beautiful. Love drives them and without it, they would have all been lost.
The ending (the last 25%) has me in a chokehold. Just . . . WOW. So much happens and I could not put the book down! It’s high stakes and there’s a lot of things at play, so I was constantly at the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happens next.
Rebecca Ross’ writing. This woman is a MASTER of words. Every sentence is wonderfully crafted with lyrical and enchanting prose. Reading this feels like a beautiful dream where you can’t help but fall in love with this story and the characters because Rebecca’s words captivate you from the first sentence.
What I didn't love:
This was a lot more war-plot focused, which I totally get, but it just didn’t intrigue me as much. In Divine Rivals, I really fell in love with the beautiful romance between Iris and Roman, but that took a backseat to battles, war-planning, and understanding the gods. And even though there was a big focus on the gods/war, I still didn’t really feel like it was THAT complex of an issue, so this plot wasn’t as gripping as I expected. It wasn’t bad, but the best parts about DV are the characters and romance so I think when reading this I was always waiting for more of those moments.
To add to the point above, the first 60% of this story was a bit slow. There was nothing wrong with it, but I think since the focus was more on the war instead of the romance, and then since Roman and Iris were separated for so long (less dialogue between them), the plot just felt like it dragged a little. I get why this was a more war focused story and why Iris and Roman were separated for so long, but it just didn’t give me that all consuming reading experience I felt with the first book.
I also think maybe I just need to reread this and go at a slower pace instead of reading for 7 straight hours. I think if I wasn’t in such a rush to get to the end and find out exactly how Iris and Roman’s love story ended, I might enjoy the journey a little bit more - including the war/gods plot. So expect an update in my review at some point.
But overall, this is a great sequel and conclusion to the story! The Letters of Enchantment duology is one of my top series ever and I will be recommending it to everyone till the day I die. 🫶
-
Letters of Enchantement Duology + Ratings:
1. Divine Rivals: ∞ ⭐️
2. Ruthless Vows: 4 ⭐️
-
Favorite Quotes: *Read at your own risk*
But all good things eventually came to an end. And all songs had a final verse.
_______
My name is Roman Carver Kitt, and this is a dead man's story.
_______
The magic still gathers, and the past is gilded; I see the beauty in what has been but only because I have tasted both sorrow and joy in equal measures.
_______
"You may not be a goddess, but nor am I a god. Despite our mundane lives, perhaps we can make out own magic with words."
_______
"I've dreamt of you. I think you and I were friends before I left for the war cause."
"Friends?"
"Or enemies."
"You and I were never enemies, Kit. Not exactly."
"When were we something more?"
Yes. I'm your wife."
_______
She would have known it was him touching her, even if her eyes had been closed.
_______
"Should I be surprised that I was falling in love with you a second time? Should I be surprised that your words found me here, even in the darkness?"
_______
"How I love to lose you. How I love to read your words and hear the thoughts that sharpen your mind. And how I would love to be on my knees before you now, surrendering to you and you alone."
_______
"I confess that I am hungry for your words."
_______
"I am leaning more on the side of impossibility these days. I am leaning towards the edge of magic."
_______
"Let us dare to change the tides. Write to me and fill my empty space."
_______
"You remember how you said that word to me in the infirmary, post-trenches? You believed I had come to the Bluff to outshine you. And I would speak this word back to you now, but only because I would love to see you burn with splendor. I would love to see your words catch fire with mine."
_______
"Gods, you looked gorgeous at tea. I would like to take you to all the places you love most in the city, and then beyond. Think about them. Make me a list. We'll go anywhere you want to. We'll go together when the war is over."
_______
He sank to his knees before her, his hands touching those tender marks on her skin. They told him she was strong and brave, but also that she was his. Their souls weren't mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side.
_______
She saw him as he saw her. With eyes open, with eyes shut.
_______
There is no magic above or below that will ever steal this from me again.
_______
"Did you think that I would let him steal this last moment from me? When I would surrender only to you, take you in my hands, and burn with you before the end comes?"
_______
"I betrayed you because I love her. . . You didn't save me, but Iris did . . . I would betray you a hundredfold. I would betray you a thousandfold for her."
_______
"I believe I'm quite good at this."
"And what's that, Winnow?"
"At taking you by surprise, Kitt."
_______
And that, he has come to realize, was when his best words emerged. When he was with her.
_______
"I look forward to the next chapter. The one you will write in your story, as well as the one we write together."
_______
May 3, 2024
No sé si 3.5 estrellas o 4, lo pensaré.
January 15, 2024
“For anyone who sought a different realm through a wardrobe door, Who wrote a letter and is still waiting for a reply, Or who dreams of stories and bleeds words”
This book was written for the girls. For the girls who feel so deeply that sometimes it hurts just to be alive. For the girls who dream hard but live harder. For the girls who’ve been inspired by stories and inspire others in turn. For the girls who understand the power of words.
These books are the kind of books that remind me why I love reading so much. I was brought back to the days of curling up on my grandma’s couch with a book (likely Narnia) in my hands for days on end. From the first page of Divine Rivals, I was hopelessly invested and now, after finishing Ruthless Vows, I’m in tears beyond the point of professional help. Something about the writing and the characters just pulls at my heartstrings and connects with me on a level I haven’t felt in a long time. I really felt like this book was written for me.
Anyway, I guess I should pull myself together enough to actually write a review but bear with me because I’m barely hanging on at this point. Forgive me, Rebecca Ross. I will never be able to write a review deserving of this literary masterpiece.
First of all, I just would like to say that this is by far the best romance I’ve ever read in my life. I’m not exactly a romance reader but I’m a romantic person who has spent all of 2023 (well, at least half) pining over fictional fantasy men and crying over Kanej. However, no ship will ever be able to compare to how I feel about Roman and Iris. They are so dear, precious, and beloved to me and there isn’t a week that goes by that I haven’t (and won’t) think about them. They are the definition of soulmates and have restored my faith in true love (as well as many other books I read this year :)
That brings me to the characters who, if you haven’t noticed, are beautiful and lovely and all things good. If you’re here then that means you’ve likely read Divine Rivals and most certainly know that exact feeling I’m talking about. Rebecca Ross does an absolutely amazing job of establishing relatable and complex characters and i felt so connected to them. I would sell my soul for my babies and I’m being 100% honest about that.
And then the writing. Omg guys how do I even put words to how I feel about the writing. Rebecca’s writing feels like painting on a spring day in a field of wildflowers (does that make any sense?) and is so mystical and beautiful. Her writing is emotional and raw and perfectly conveys her equally beautiful story. I wanted to include quotes in here but I realized that 1) I have to many and 2) I want you all to be able to experience them for the first time when you read the book (although I do have a few in my earlier updates 😉).
The world building was also amazing and really expanded from what is was last book. In general, I felt like the magical, fantasy aspects were focused on a lot more in this book (not that I felt like it was lacking in DV). For those who wanted more world-building in the first book, you will be pleasantly surprised.
This book is my Roman Empire (get it?). It is my life. I want all of Roman and Iris’s beautiful tear-stained love letters plastered onto my wall and I hope that all of my book girlies out there get boys like Roman Kitt to write us those love letters. We deserve it. This book was an emotionally traumatizing experience (I’ve never cried so much while reading a book) but it was worth it. It was the ending that they deserved.
I will now be taking a short hiatus from normal life to pick up the broken pieces of myself.
🎶 invisible string 🎶
P. S. And, as always (but especially for this book), many thanks to all my lovely girls out there who read my hundreds of updates 💕
january book club pick: https://fable.co/club/sad-girl-book-c...
This book was written for the girls. For the girls who feel so deeply that sometimes it hurts just to be alive. For the girls who dream hard but live harder. For the girls who’ve been inspired by stories and inspire others in turn. For the girls who understand the power of words.
These books are the kind of books that remind me why I love reading so much. I was brought back to the days of curling up on my grandma’s couch with a book (likely Narnia) in my hands for days on end. From the first page of Divine Rivals, I was hopelessly invested and now, after finishing Ruthless Vows, I’m in tears beyond the point of professional help. Something about the writing and the characters just pulls at my heartstrings and connects with me on a level I haven’t felt in a long time. I really felt like this book was written for me.
Anyway, I guess I should pull myself together enough to actually write a review but bear with me because I’m barely hanging on at this point. Forgive me, Rebecca Ross. I will never be able to write a review deserving of this literary masterpiece.
First of all, I just would like to say that this is by far the best romance I’ve ever read in my life. I’m not exactly a romance reader but I’m a romantic person who has spent all of 2023 (well, at least half) pining over fictional fantasy men and crying over Kanej. However, no ship will ever be able to compare to how I feel about Roman and Iris. They are so dear, precious, and beloved to me and there isn’t a week that goes by that I haven’t (and won’t) think about them. They are the definition of soulmates and have restored my faith in true love (as well as many other books I read this year :)
That brings me to the characters who, if you haven’t noticed, are beautiful and lovely and all things good. If you’re here then that means you’ve likely read Divine Rivals and most certainly know that exact feeling I’m talking about. Rebecca Ross does an absolutely amazing job of establishing relatable and complex characters and i felt so connected to them. I would sell my soul for my babies and I’m being 100% honest about that.
And then the writing. Omg guys how do I even put words to how I feel about the writing. Rebecca’s writing feels like painting on a spring day in a field of wildflowers (does that make any sense?) and is so mystical and beautiful. Her writing is emotional and raw and perfectly conveys her equally beautiful story. I wanted to include quotes in here but I realized that 1) I have to many and 2) I want you all to be able to experience them for the first time when you read the book (although I do have a few in my earlier updates 😉).
The world building was also amazing and really expanded from what is was last book. In general, I felt like the magical, fantasy aspects were focused on a lot more in this book (not that I felt like it was lacking in DV). For those who wanted more world-building in the first book, you will be pleasantly surprised.
This book is my Roman Empire (get it?). It is my life. I want all of Roman and Iris’s beautiful tear-stained love letters plastered onto my wall and I hope that all of my book girlies out there get boys like Roman Kitt to write us those love letters. We deserve it. This book was an emotionally traumatizing experience (I’ve never cried so much while reading a book) but it was worth it. It was the ending that they deserved.
I will now be taking a short hiatus from normal life to pick up the broken pieces of myself.
🎶 invisible string 🎶
P. S. And, as always (but especially for this book), many thanks to all my lovely girls out there who read my hundreds of updates 💕
january book club pick: https://fable.co/club/sad-girl-book-c...
January 6, 2024
3.5⭐️ this was sooo good but I enjoyed divine rivals more
ok but this excerpts from Kitt's letter 🥺
on one hand, I liked that book 2 better explored E and R as individual personalities and individuals and also was more fantasy than ya. divine rivals was just simpler, more lovable and believable. sighs, maybe I need a full love story?
find ruthless vows on amazon/kindle/audible⚡️⚡️
***
I'm ready for the pain but also my copy just arrived and I can't wait a minute more 🥺💗
I'm not ready for the pain please 😭😭 can we all just wait till after the holidays??
ok but this excerpts from Kitt's letter 🥺
I know we are no longer rivals, but if we are keeping tally like the old days, you have far outshined* me with your wit and your courage. Which reminds me of one simple thing: how I love to lose to you. How I love to read your words and hear the thoughts that sharpen your mind. And how I would love to be on my knees before you now, surrendering to you and you alone.
If you agree to this, write me back. If you don’t agree, still write me back. I want to know your thoughts. I confess that I am hungry for your words.
on one hand, I liked that book 2 better explored E and R as individual personalities and individuals and also was more fantasy than ya. divine rivals was just simpler, more lovable and believable. sighs, maybe I need a full love story?
find ruthless vows on amazon/kindle/audible⚡️⚡️
***
I'm ready for the pain but also my copy just arrived and I can't wait a minute more 🥺💗
I'm not ready for the pain please 😭😭 can we all just wait till after the holidays??
June 28, 2024
“Should I be surprised that I was falling in love with you a second time?”
3 🌟's
🌸My Thoughts🌸
So I was finally able to read this book and I didn’t feel quite satisfied with it unfortunately. First off ik ik this review is like 3 months later after I read the book back in early January. 💀 🙈 But I’m going to try and remember as much as I can for this review without spoiling anything. I’m going to be honest and say that I was upset how much I waited for this book and it didn’t deliver. 🥺 Like some parts were good but then other parts I felt like were overdone or not elaborated enough. For the rating I gave it 3 starswhich is kinda generous ngl but tbh i felt kinda bad giving this book like a 1 when divine rivals was so good and this one was kinda bad. So, I gave it a 3, one for the characters, one for the romance, and one bc I felt bad 😭 The characters were all good and so was the romance I just felt like it was missing something and the ending was too rushed. God knows the emotions were definitely there because I was crying my eyes reading this book. 😥🤧 So, they nailed that but they could’ve given Iris and Roman a better ending. Like the ending was really bittersweet. Overall I would say that people should read it tho to see how they feel about it. After the Divine Rivals ending, its kinda hard to not want to know what happens.
🌸Main Characters🌸
♡Iris *Little Flower*♡
She is such an icon. 👑 After everything she went through she was so ready to go fight for Roman, even if that meant fighting for the other side. Story after story she wrote even when they told her she couldn’t. I feel like in this book Iris kind’ve branched out even more. In the last book it was about intros and trying to develop the romance between the two and in this one it's about them fighting to keep their future. So, I would say they’ve done a good job building up to that but as for them being together they didn’t really give a lot of Roman and Iris moments together. Like I really loved reading about all the things Iris did as an individual or with her friends but I wanted more of an interaction between her and Kitt.
♡Roman♡
He really is such a cute and cuddly teddy bear. 🧸I feel like they didn’t do enough for his character. One you made him forget everything and then like he was walking around like a zombie. All he had to rely on was his typewriter and the letters from someone he didn’t really remember. And when he did, the majority of the time was spent trying to hide the fact that he remembers his old life. I think this was where I felt like something was missing. Like Roman should’ve been developed more for this book. Ik he was going through some stuff but he needed more interaction with the outside world besides just Dacre. I love Roman but this book just didn’t do him justice after that ending in divine rivals. 😭
🌸Side Characters🌸
Attie and Marisol are my heart. I love their friendship with Iris. It just brought sm positivity to the book despite the war and everything else going on. And Tobias and Attie were so cute. Forest was kind of annoying in the beginning especially after he dragged her away from Roman. That scene was a lot. 😭 But later on he kinda grew on me. And for those of you who know what happened…. Like what I was saying before when I felt like things were rushed and got crazy. I felt like this was a good example of that. I’m not even going to talk about Dacre I hate that guy sm!! And Enva…like I kinda get her character and then I kinda don’t. I kept forgetting that this is like a greek mythology with all the gods stuff. It just seemed so realistic and then wardrobes and gods would be brought up and then you have to remember this is a fantasy romance novel.
🌸Best Couple Moments🌸
♡When they asked each other the 3 questions to see if they remember each other
♡The letters
♡Their happy ending (somewhat)
♡Praying to see one another again soon
🌸Favorite Quotes🌸
♡“People are allowed to have their own opinions and beliefs on divinity, whether they worship them or not. We can’t control that.”
♡“Are you safe? Are you well? I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t stop worrying about you.” (Iris)
♡“I have kept you to myself; no one knows of you but me. No one knows of our connection and I want to keep it that way.” (Roman)
♡“The problem is…..I want to hear from you at all hours. I want to read your words. I am greedy for them. I am hungry for them.” (Roman)
♡“Let me be your secret, then. Tuck my words into your pocket. Let them be your armor.” (Iris)
♡“I pray that my days will be long at your side. Let me fill and satisfy every longing in your soul. May your hand be in mine, by sun and by night. Let our breaths twine and our blood become one, until our bones turn to dust. Even then, may I find your soul still sworn to mine.” (Their wedding vows)
♡“Should I be surprised that I was falling in love with you a second time?” (Roman)
♡“I would love to see your words catch fire with mine.” (Roman)
♡“Write me a story, Kitt. Write me a story where you keep me up late every night with your typing, and I hide messages in your pockets for you to find when you’re at work. Write me a story where we first met on a street corner, and I spilled coffee on your expensive trench coat, or when we crossed paths at our favorite bookshop, and I recommended poetry, and you recommend myths. Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces. (Iris)
🌸Last Thoughts🌸
It’s a shame that this one couldn’t live up to Divine Rivals. But I think it was a nice closure to the series. Its easier now knowing that they got somewhat of a good ending. I just wish it could have been better. However I will always love the story of Iris and Roman no matter what. And they will always have a special place in my heart. 💗💗💗
Letters of Enchantment Full Series Review
Divine Rivals: ♾🌟's
Definitely the best on in the series The chemistry was in point and it was such a beautiful beginning to Iris and Roman's story. 💘💖💗
Ruthless Vows: 3🌟's
Unfortunately even after we waited forever for it, it didn't deliver the way we thought. However its nice to know that they have somewhat of a good ending. ❤
Would I do a reread? Probably only the 1st one I just felt that one had more romance with the two and eventho it has that shocking ending ik now what happens so its will be easier to process again. I do recommend this series it was nice slowburn romance and these two are always going to be one of my favorite book couples
3 🌟's
🌸My Thoughts🌸
So I was finally able to read this book and I didn’t feel quite satisfied with it unfortunately. First off ik ik this review is like 3 months later after I read the book back in early January. 💀 🙈 But I’m going to try and remember as much as I can for this review without spoiling anything. I’m going to be honest and say that I was upset how much I waited for this book and it didn’t deliver. 🥺 Like some parts were good but then other parts I felt like were overdone or not elaborated enough. For the rating I gave it 3 stars
🌸Main Characters🌸
♡Iris *Little Flower*♡
She is such an icon. 👑 After everything she went through she was so ready to go fight for Roman, even if that meant fighting for the other side. Story after story she wrote even when they told her she couldn’t. I feel like in this book Iris kind’ve branched out even more. In the last book it was about intros and trying to develop the romance between the two and in this one it's about them fighting to keep their future. So, I would say they’ve done a good job building up to that but as for them being together they didn’t really give a lot of Roman and Iris moments together. Like I really loved reading about all the things Iris did as an individual or with her friends but I wanted more of an interaction between her and Kitt.
♡Roman♡
He really is such a cute and cuddly teddy bear. 🧸I feel like they didn’t do enough for his character. One you made him forget everything and then like he was walking around like a zombie. All he had to rely on was his typewriter and the letters from someone he didn’t really remember. And when he did, the majority of the time was spent trying to hide the fact that he remembers his old life. I think this was where I felt like something was missing. Like Roman should’ve been developed more for this book. Ik he was going through some stuff but he needed more interaction with the outside world besides just Dacre. I love Roman but this book just didn’t do him justice after that ending in divine rivals. 😭
🌸Side Characters🌸
Attie and Marisol are my heart. I love their friendship with Iris. It just brought sm positivity to the book despite the war and everything else going on. And Tobias and Attie were so cute. Forest was kind of annoying in the beginning especially after he dragged her away from Roman. That scene was a lot. 😭 But later on he kinda grew on me. And for those of you who know what happened…. Like what I was saying before when I felt like things were rushed and got crazy. I felt like this was a good example of that. I’m not even going to talk about Dacre I hate that guy sm!! And Enva…like I kinda get her character and then I kinda don’t. I kept forgetting that this is like a greek mythology with all the gods stuff. It just seemed so realistic and then wardrobes and gods would be brought up and then you have to remember this is a fantasy romance novel.
🌸Best Couple Moments🌸
♡When they asked each other the 3 questions to see if they remember each other
♡The letters
♡Their happy ending (somewhat)
♡Praying to see one another again soon
🌸Favorite Quotes🌸
♡“People are allowed to have their own opinions and beliefs on divinity, whether they worship them or not. We can’t control that.”
♡“Are you safe? Are you well? I can’t stop thinking about you. I can’t stop worrying about you.” (Iris)
♡“I have kept you to myself; no one knows of you but me. No one knows of our connection and I want to keep it that way.” (Roman)
♡“The problem is…..I want to hear from you at all hours. I want to read your words. I am greedy for them. I am hungry for them.” (Roman)
♡“Let me be your secret, then. Tuck my words into your pocket. Let them be your armor.” (Iris)
♡“I pray that my days will be long at your side. Let me fill and satisfy every longing in your soul. May your hand be in mine, by sun and by night. Let our breaths twine and our blood become one, until our bones turn to dust. Even then, may I find your soul still sworn to mine.” (Their wedding vows)
♡“Should I be surprised that I was falling in love with you a second time?” (Roman)
♡“I would love to see your words catch fire with mine.” (Roman)
♡“Write me a story, Kitt. Write me a story where you keep me up late every night with your typing, and I hide messages in your pockets for you to find when you’re at work. Write me a story where we first met on a street corner, and I spilled coffee on your expensive trench coat, or when we crossed paths at our favorite bookshop, and I recommended poetry, and you recommend myths. Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces. (Iris)
🌸Last Thoughts🌸
It’s a shame that this one couldn’t live up to Divine Rivals. But I think it was a nice closure to the series. Its easier now knowing that they got somewhat of a good ending. I just wish it could have been better. However I will always love the story of Iris and Roman no matter what. And they will always have a special place in my heart. 💗💗💗
Letters of Enchantment Full Series Review
Divine Rivals: ♾🌟's
Definitely the best on in the series The chemistry was in point and it was such a beautiful beginning to Iris and Roman's story. 💘💖💗
Ruthless Vows: 3🌟's
Unfortunately even after we waited forever for it, it didn't deliver the way we thought. However its nice to know that they have somewhat of a good ending. ❤
Would I do a reread? Probably only the 1st one I just felt that one had more romance with the two and eventho it has that shocking ending ik now what happens so its will be easier to process again. I do recommend this series it was nice slowburn romance and these two are always going to be one of my favorite book couples
February 28, 2024
3.5 ☆
“Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
Divine Rivals will always have a hold on my heart, but sadly, this didn't live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong, I love Rebecca's writing as it is so beautifully written and just poetic, and I would probably read her grocery list and fall in love. Ruthless Vows was just lacking so much. I know that my review of DR mentioned that the fantasy was missing some pieces, but this was based almost entirely on the war and gods. I wanted more of the romance that I fell in love with and made me adore the first book wholeheartedly. I truly wanted to love this so much because Romaniris deserve the world and nothing less than 5 stars and more. I changed the rating from 3 stars to 3.5 solely for them alone.
Ruthless Vows is the conclusion in the Letters of Enchantment Duet. It is a slow burn that is filled with angst, playful banter, protectiveness, and pain, and the romance was top tier when it was present.
Iris Winnow is back in Oath working at the newspaper Inkridden Tribune. She has lost contact with her beloved husband Roman Kitt when she returned home from the frontlines of the war two weeks ago with her brother. The war continues between the two gods, Dacre and Enva. Her boss has asked her to return to the frontlines to repot on the happenings of the war and the movements of Dacre. Iris jumps at the opportunity in hopes that while reporting, she will also reunite with Roman.
Iris my precious girl. I can't say it enough how much I admire her strength and bravery. She has endured so much and still tries to be positive and not let it all eat away at her. She goes to great lengths to make sure the ones she cares for are taken care of in every way that is possible for her to accomplish. Always putting the needs of her loved ones first. I just love and adore her so much. She is honestly my favorite female main character. It will take a lot to change my mind on this.
“If my words have bewitched your son, then know that his possess the same magic for me”
Roman is my dream man. I love him with my heart. He is so strong, sweet, compassionate, and just a gentleman. I mean, he waits for her to get inside her building before leaving. This is the sweetest gesture that has me melting for him. My heart hurt so much for him when he was dealing with his pain and tried his hardest to hide it.
"The problem is… I want to hear from you at all hours. I want to read your words. I am greedy for them. I am hungry for them."
Romaniris they are the definition of true love, and I said it before and will say it again. These two define what soulmates are. They hold so many feelings, passion, and chemistry for each other, but I didn't feel it for most of the book. It saddens me because the love that they share was felt so much before. I just wish we would have had more of their romance and sooner. I adore what they have. It literally makes me weak in the knees and swoon. The number of times that I just wanted to wrap my arms around them both gave them the biggest hugs with all they had to endure to get back to one another.
"Their souls weren’t mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side.
Side characters
The found family that is shown is so heartwarming. I loved the moments that we got with Attie, Tobias, Sarah, and Forest. I will say that I was so mad at Forest, but now I understand why he did what he had. I kind of didn't care for Marisol and Keegan in this as to me their characters changed, which upsets me because I love them before.
There were a couple of things that I disliked. The main one is the gods. I could care less about more detail with them and the war, and this is mostly what we got for most of the book. I just felt that all of that wasn't needed. The other is that my interset wasn't held until after the first half of the book when it started to pick up. I felt myself not wanting to read. I would read a chapter and put my Kindle down. This was not the case with DR, I couldn't put it down. I was already feeling a slump when I started this and swore that Romaniris would pull me out, but it actually began to get worse at some points.
What I loved most about this was first of all the letters because I'm a sucker for letters in a book, especially love letters. However, they weren't the letters that I fell in love with before they were not the same. While I understand the circumstances were different, they could have still poured their heart and soul into them to each other. I still need someone to write me some. They were still enjoyable to me. Outside of the letters, though, there were a couple of things that stuck out to me the most and that I loved. Chapter 35 is definitely one part that I loved. I would have loved to have stayed there because I live and breathe for that chapter alone. I was literally smiling so hard and screaming of happiness here. Chapter 49 gave the thoughts of what others were thinking while the war was happening. I could feel the emotions that they were feeling at this time.
That ending had me in tears from moments of sadness to moments of happiness. I'm ecstatic that they got their happy ending and am hoping for more of them in the future. If not their own book or novella, then a spin-off with Attie and Tobias. I just want more Roman and Iris, period.
Favorite quotes/moments
"You may not be a goddess, but nor am I a god. Despite our mundane lives, perhaps we make our own magic with words."
"How I love to read your words and hear the thoughts that sharpen your mind. And how I would love to be on my knees before you now, surrendering to you and you alone."
“My wife!” Roman hissed. “My wife is in that crowd!”
“If you had touched me today, Kitt,” she whispered. “I don’t think I could’ve hidden it anymore. Who you are to me. Who I am to you.”
“Write me a story where you keep me up late every night with your typing, and I hide messages in your pockets for you to find when you’re at work."
~~~~~~
Pre-review: Ahhhh, IT'S HERE 😭 Please help me out of this slump, my babies 🤞🤍
~~~~~~
Update 11/28:I need answers 😭 I need this book RN!December 26th can't get here fast enough! 😫
“Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
Divine Rivals will always have a hold on my heart, but sadly, this didn't live up to my expectations. Don't get me wrong, I love Rebecca's writing as it is so beautifully written and just poetic, and I would probably read her grocery list and fall in love. Ruthless Vows was just lacking so much. I know that my review of DR mentioned that the fantasy was missing some pieces, but this was based almost entirely on the war and gods. I wanted more of the romance that I fell in love with and made me adore the first book wholeheartedly. I truly wanted to love this so much because Romaniris deserve the world and nothing less than 5 stars and more. I changed the rating from 3 stars to 3.5 solely for them alone.
Ruthless Vows is the conclusion in the Letters of Enchantment Duet. It is a slow burn that is filled with angst, playful banter, protectiveness, and pain, and the romance was top tier when it was present.
Iris Winnow is back in Oath working at the newspaper Inkridden Tribune. She has lost contact with her beloved husband Roman Kitt when she returned home from the frontlines of the war two weeks ago with her brother. The war continues between the two gods, Dacre and Enva. Her boss has asked her to return to the frontlines to repot on the happenings of the war and the movements of Dacre. Iris jumps at the opportunity in hopes that while reporting, she will also reunite with Roman.
Iris my precious girl. I can't say it enough how much I admire her strength and bravery. She has endured so much and still tries to be positive and not let it all eat away at her. She goes to great lengths to make sure the ones she cares for are taken care of in every way that is possible for her to accomplish. Always putting the needs of her loved ones first. I just love and adore her so much. She is honestly my favorite female main character. It will take a lot to change my mind on this.
“If my words have bewitched your son, then know that his possess the same magic for me”
Roman is my dream man. I love him with my heart. He is so strong, sweet, compassionate, and just a gentleman. I mean, he waits for her to get inside her building before leaving. This is the sweetest gesture that has me melting for him. My heart hurt so much for him when he was dealing with his pain and tried his hardest to hide it.
"The problem is… I want to hear from you at all hours. I want to read your words. I am greedy for them. I am hungry for them."
Romaniris they are the definition of true love, and I said it before and will say it again. These two define what soulmates are. They hold so many feelings, passion, and chemistry for each other, but I didn't feel it for most of the book. It saddens me because the love that they share was felt so much before. I just wish we would have had more of their romance and sooner. I adore what they have. It literally makes me weak in the knees and swoon. The number of times that I just wanted to wrap my arms around them both gave them the biggest hugs with all they had to endure to get back to one another.
"Their souls weren’t mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side.
Side characters
The found family that is shown is so heartwarming. I loved the moments that we got with Attie, Tobias, Sarah, and Forest. I will say that I was so mad at Forest, but now I understand why he did what he had. I kind of didn't care for Marisol and Keegan in this as to me their characters changed, which upsets me because I love them before.
There were a couple of things that I disliked. The main one is the gods. I could care less about more detail with them and the war, and this is mostly what we got for most of the book. I just felt that all of that wasn't needed. The other is that my interset wasn't held until after the first half of the book when it started to pick up. I felt myself not wanting to read. I would read a chapter and put my Kindle down. This was not the case with DR, I couldn't put it down. I was already feeling a slump when I started this and swore that Romaniris would pull me out, but it actually began to get worse at some points.
What I loved most about this was first of all the letters because I'm a sucker for letters in a book, especially love letters. However, they weren't the letters that I fell in love with before they were not the same. While I understand the circumstances were different, they could have still poured their heart and soul into them to each other. I still need someone to write me some. They were still enjoyable to me. Outside of the letters, though, there were a couple of things that stuck out to me the most and that I loved. Chapter 35 is definitely one part that I loved. I would have loved to have stayed there because I live and breathe for that chapter alone. I was literally smiling so hard and screaming of happiness here. Chapter 49 gave the thoughts of what others were thinking while the war was happening. I could feel the emotions that they were feeling at this time.
That ending had me in tears from moments of sadness to moments of happiness. I'm ecstatic that they got their happy ending and am hoping for more of them in the future. If not their own book or novella, then a spin-off with Attie and Tobias. I just want more Roman and Iris, period.
Favorite quotes/moments
"You may not be a goddess, but nor am I a god. Despite our mundane lives, perhaps we make our own magic with words."
"How I love to read your words and hear the thoughts that sharpen your mind. And how I would love to be on my knees before you now, surrendering to you and you alone."
“My wife!” Roman hissed. “My wife is in that crowd!”
“If you had touched me today, Kitt,” she whispered. “I don’t think I could’ve hidden it anymore. Who you are to me. Who I am to you.”
“Write me a story where you keep me up late every night with your typing, and I hide messages in your pockets for you to find when you’re at work."
~~~~~~
Pre-review: Ahhhh, IT'S HERE 😭 Please help me out of this slump, my babies 🤞🤍
~~~~~~
Update 11/28:I need answers 😭 I need this book RN!December 26th can't get here fast enough! 😫
December 30, 2023
'their souls weren't mirrors but complements,
constellations that burned side by side.'
did my most anticipated release of the year disappoint me? yes 😁 at this point i would have been content with 200 more pages in divine rivals because what was this. unnecessary? ✓ useless? ✓ boring? ✓
i know people were asking for more world building and information regarding the whole dacre enva thing but girl we didn't mean make the whole book about them! we don't care. we literally came for irisroman and irisroman only. the reason divine rivals is phenomenal is because of iris and roman's relationship so i don't know who told you it was a good idea to minimize it here. especially the awkward and boring letters which BROKE my heart because their letters in divine rivals are my whole heart :((
"i would love to see your words catch fire with mine."
chapter 35 deserves five stars. last chapter was cute but not the conclusion i hoped for. & the fact there were still plot holes lmao. overall, if you don't read this, you wouldn't be missing out and it pains me to say that.
initially gave this 3 stars but that was truly a stretch.. it felt more like 2 stars so thank you jessy for giving me the final push, love how we help each other hate books <3
"how i love to lose to you. how i love to read your words and hear the thoughts that sharpen your mind. and how i would love to be on my knees before you now, surrendering to you and you only."
March 31, 2024
realistically, this is closer to a 4/5 for me, but all i want to do right now is to throw myself out of my fucking balcony so five stars it is.
(i care too much about the characters to give this anything less than a 5/5 so anyways)
(i care too much about the characters to give this anything less than a 5/5 so anyways)
January 9, 2024
Update 9/01/24- yes I finished this like 2 weeks ago and still haven't done a review yet lmao I promise I haven't forgotten, I just haven't wanted to say goodbye to romaniris yet 🥹 coming soon <33
---
I can't express in words yet how beautiful, raw and utterly heartbreaking this book was. Rebecca's writing is so magical, I could feel every word wrap around me and squeeze my heart 🥹
RTC when the tears stop flowing now that Iris and Roman's story is over 😭
"Keep writing. You will find the words you need to share. They are already within you, even in the shadows, hiding like jewels."
- - -
Pre-read: 26/12/23 - Nothing better than waking up and finding this on my kindle. Ready to get my heart shattered into a million pieces 🤍
Update 15/12/2023: Another new quote 😭😭
”Roman surprised himself by reaching out to touch her. But she was nothing more than mist and memory. She slipped through his fingers, leaving behind the taste of tart citrus in black, sugared tea.” Counting down the days until 26 Dec 🤩
Update 8/12/2023: A new quote If you had touched me today, Kitt. I don't think I could've hidden it anymore. Who you are to me. Who I am to you." STOP WHAT DOES IT MEANNN 😭 Also Divine Rivals won Ya fantasy of the year. I haven't read Powerless yet but I'm so happy for Rebecca!!
Update 4/12/23: Stop Barnes and Noble dropped a promo trailer and the actor is wearing a wedding band 😭 I need this book like water but I also don't want their story to end!!
"I would love to see your words catch fire with mine."
"I write this to you in the dark, with only a sliver of moonlight on my desk...After you read this letter, I need you to burn it."
"I would speak this word back to you now, but only because I would love to see you burn with splendour."
---
I can't express in words yet how beautiful, raw and utterly heartbreaking this book was. Rebecca's writing is so magical, I could feel every word wrap around me and squeeze my heart 🥹
RTC when the tears stop flowing now that Iris and Roman's story is over 😭
"Keep writing. You will find the words you need to share. They are already within you, even in the shadows, hiding like jewels."
- - -
Pre-read: 26/12/23 - Nothing better than waking up and finding this on my kindle. Ready to get my heart shattered into a million pieces 🤍
Update 15/12/2023: Another new quote 😭😭
”Roman surprised himself by reaching out to touch her. But she was nothing more than mist and memory. She slipped through his fingers, leaving behind the taste of tart citrus in black, sugared tea.” Counting down the days until 26 Dec 🤩
Update 8/12/2023: A new quote If you had touched me today, Kitt. I don't think I could've hidden it anymore. Who you are to me. Who I am to you." STOP WHAT DOES IT MEANNN 😭 Also Divine Rivals won Ya fantasy of the year. I haven't read Powerless yet but I'm so happy for Rebecca!!
Update 4/12/23: Stop Barnes and Noble dropped a promo trailer and the actor is wearing a wedding band 😭 I need this book like water but I also don't want their story to end!!
"I would love to see your words catch fire with mine."
"I write this to you in the dark, with only a sliver of moonlight on my desk...After you read this letter, I need you to burn it."
"I would speak this word back to you now, but only because I would love to see you burn with splendour."
January 4, 2024
NOT HIM GETTING PEETA MELLARK'ED?!!
February 18, 2024
Updated in 02/18/2024
3 rounded up! ⭐
“ Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
I had to let this sit for a few days to rate this when I'm not high in my emotions!
Started this with 5 million expectations, and it only optimistically delivered about 10 of them!
The 3rd part saved this book for me because the first 2 parts were too boring and lacked the magic the divine rivals had, to the point I wanted to dnf it!
Some random things were happening that I was struggling to find the point of them nor connect them to the story, and even though the book is finished, the reason why the war started in the first place and the reason why things went down like that, makes zero sense to me!!
Dacre reason for starting the war was somehow not a good reason and I could not feel any love from him to enva! He had no personality whatsoever, and in the end, I was like was it all destruction and everything necessary because you don't even seem to be that in love for all I care!
“Did you think that I would let him steal this last moment from me? When I would surrender only to you, take you in my hands, and burn with you before the end comes?”
I mentioned this in my updates, but Iris was single-handedly trying to stop the war, and that didn't really sit right with me, I'm a fan of Strong FMC, but she was literally an ordinary citizen and there was no one else to help here. fr?? The whole town was having parties and gatherings and so unaffected by the war, so was it hard to stop partying and help her for god's sake?
Long story short, I did enjoy their letter exchanges, chapter 35 is literally worth one star, but this one didn't deliver as divine rivals!
----------------------
Feeling hollow inside!!😭
gotta process this for a few days!!
-----------------------
The way I'm scared to read this!!!
Avoided every single update and review to this moment, but i know most of you all didn't like it, so fingers crossed that i don't HATE!
___________
Only 2 daysssssss to meet my babies again!!!😭😭😭😭
I swear to god if it breaks me imma stop reading for some time 😭😫
3 rounded up! ⭐
“ Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
I had to let this sit for a few days to rate this when I'm not high in my emotions!
Started this with 5 million expectations, and it only optimistically delivered about 10 of them!
The 3rd part saved this book for me because the first 2 parts were too boring and lacked the magic the divine rivals had, to the point I wanted to dnf it!
Some random things were happening that I was struggling to find the point of them nor connect them to the story, and even though the book is finished, the reason why the war started in the first place and the reason why things went down like that, makes zero sense to me!!
Dacre reason for starting the war was somehow not a good reason and I could not feel any love from him to enva! He had no personality whatsoever, and in the end, I was like was it all destruction and everything necessary because you don't even seem to be that in love for all I care!
“Did you think that I would let him steal this last moment from me? When I would surrender only to you, take you in my hands, and burn with you before the end comes?”
I mentioned this in my updates, but Iris was single-handedly trying to stop the war, and that didn't really sit right with me, I'm a fan of Strong FMC, but she was literally an ordinary citizen and there was no one else to help here. fr?? The whole town was having parties and gatherings and so unaffected by the war, so was it hard to stop partying and help her for god's sake?
Long story short, I did enjoy their letter exchanges, chapter 35 is literally worth one star, but this one didn't deliver as divine rivals!
----------------------
Feeling hollow inside!!😭
gotta process this for a few days!!
-----------------------
The way I'm scared to read this!!!
Avoided every single update and review to this moment, but i know most of you all didn't like it, so fingers crossed that i don't HATE!
___________
Only 2 daysssssss to meet my babies again!!!😭😭😭😭
I swear to god if it breaks me imma stop reading for some time 😭😫
January 6, 2024
I'm forever undone.
Do you hear that? It's me, screaming, crying and trying to get my shit together.
rtc!
Do you hear that? It's me, screaming, crying and trying to get my shit together.
rtc!
July 18, 2024
I know we are no longer rivals, but if we are keeping tally like the old days, you have far outshined me with your wit and your courage. Which reminds me of one simple thing: how I love to lose to you. How I love to read your words and hear the thoughts that sharpen your mind. And how I would love to be on my knees before you now, surrendering to you and you alone.
4.5 stars
This was a great end to the duology. The writing in both of these books was on a completely different level than RR's other books, though I've enjoyed the others I've read too. Everything feels so grounded and flows so effortlessly 🩵
This storyline didn't focus so much on the actual war as the first one did, in that Roman and Iris were pretty far removed from it from most of the book, so I think some of the wright fell off on this one. But there were plenty of heart stopping scenes to move everything along pretty smoothly.
My biggest complaint and reason for my rating is the distance between Roman and Iris. They had nowhere near as many scenes together as DR, depriving us of their epic banter and admittedly swoonworthy prose.
All in all, a great duology and I wonder if RR will expand on the universe at all? We shall see!
I'm also trying out a bookstagram, so follow me at felinebooktrovert for everything books, cats, and cozy ❤️
4.5 stars
This was a great end to the duology. The writing in both of these books was on a completely different level than RR's other books, though I've enjoyed the others I've read too. Everything feels so grounded and flows so effortlessly 🩵
This storyline didn't focus so much on the actual war as the first one did, in that Roman and Iris were pretty far removed from it from most of the book, so I think some of the wright fell off on this one. But there were plenty of heart stopping scenes to move everything along pretty smoothly.
My biggest complaint and reason for my rating is the distance between Roman and Iris. They had nowhere near as many scenes together as DR, depriving us of their epic banter and admittedly swoonworthy prose.
All in all, a great duology and I wonder if RR will expand on the universe at all? We shall see!
I'm also trying out a bookstagram, so follow me at felinebooktrovert for everything books, cats, and cozy ❤️
February 21, 2024
𝟏/𝟎𝟒/𝟐𝟒
2.75⭐’s/5
Rebecca Ross’s writing was the only thing that saved this book for me.
. . • ☆ . ° .• 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑨𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 °:. *₊ ° . ☆
╰┈➤ Play “You & I”- by One Direction
🎵𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄, 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙗𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢
𝙒𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 '𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙
𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄
𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙫𝙚
𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨
𝙉𝙤, 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄🎵
“𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣. 𝙏𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩. 𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙗𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙤𝙧.”
I got so bored reading this book, and it pains me to say this but this was so disappointing.
Originally I was planning on binging this book however… things took a turn, I could not stay awake. I swear it took me 4 days to finish this even though I was anticipating this release so much to the point where I planned on binging this in a day but my gosh I was so tired reading this.
I dozed off the majority of the first half of the book, but around the middle it somewhat got better. I wouldn’t say this was a terrible read, but it didn’t give me that overwhelming, emotional, and tense feeling like Divine Rivals did. I felt so underwhelmed reading this one… and that ending just made me more dissatisfied.
I’m gonna be honest… I came here solely for the romance and not for the conflict between the gods. The romance was non-existent in this book (besides that one chapter) but it was mostly the gods. Though I mean it wasn’t that bad, but the war between the gods just wasn’t as satisfying as I thought it would have been, it was boring af. Dacre was literally the main character atp and IrisRoman just felt like the background characters or subs. The plot was so messy that it felt so confusing. The amnesia trope lacked plot, it was so random. It was missing that angst, and longing feeling between RomanIris. It was so draggy, nothing really happened regarding that. This trope didn’t happen in the way she had hoped it would but things were still somewhat fine.
Even though this wasn’t the best book, I will say I did enjoy some of the romantic scenes we got from Roman and Iris, I will always eat those up. And oh my gosh Rebecca’s writing was truly out of this world, it was breathtaking as always. I fell in love with her poetic and lyrical style of writing again. Even though this one didn’t do it for me, it was still good in some parts.
╰┈➤ 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫
"𝙄𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚."
"𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢 𝙞𝙨... 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨. 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢. 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢."
"𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗶𝗿�� 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲."
"𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙆𝙞𝙩𝙩. 𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙮 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨."
“𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗱. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲.”
“𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚.”
"𝗢𝗵, 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱,” 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱, 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴. “𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿.”
“𝙄 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪,” 𝙍𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙣, “𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧.”
»--•--«
FUCK MY STUDIES TF ROMANIRIS ARE HERE!!
Phones are silenced, tissues are ready, coffee is made let's do this shit RomanIris I'm coming for you.
»--•--«
Fuck exams I'm gonna binge this when it comes out 😌
2.75⭐’s/5
Rebecca Ross’s writing was the only thing that saved this book for me.
. . • ☆ . ° .• 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝑨𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 °:. *₊ ° . ☆
╰┈➤ Play “You & I”- by One Direction
🎵𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄, 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙖 𝙗𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢
𝙒𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 '𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙙
𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄
𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙫𝙚
𝘾𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙤𝙛 𝙪𝙨
𝙉𝙤, 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄🎵
“𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣. 𝙏𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙩. 𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙗𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙤𝙧.”
I got so bored reading this book, and it pains me to say this but this was so disappointing.
Originally I was planning on binging this book however… things took a turn, I could not stay awake. I swear it took me 4 days to finish this even though I was anticipating this release so much to the point where I planned on binging this in a day but my gosh I was so tired reading this.
I dozed off the majority of the first half of the book, but around the middle it somewhat got better. I wouldn’t say this was a terrible read, but it didn’t give me that overwhelming, emotional, and tense feeling like Divine Rivals did. I felt so underwhelmed reading this one… and that ending just made me more dissatisfied.
I’m gonna be honest… I came here solely for the romance and not for the conflict between the gods. The romance was non-existent in this book (besides that one chapter) but it was mostly the gods. Though I mean it wasn’t that bad, but the war between the gods just wasn’t as satisfying as I thought it would have been, it was boring af. Dacre was literally the main character atp and IrisRoman just felt like the background characters or subs. The plot was so messy that it felt so confusing. The amnesia trope lacked plot, it was so random. It was missing that angst, and longing feeling between RomanIris. It was so draggy, nothing really happened regarding that. This trope didn’t happen in the way she had hoped it would but things were still somewhat fine.
Even though this wasn’t the best book, I will say I did enjoy some of the romantic scenes we got from Roman and Iris, I will always eat those up. And oh my gosh Rebecca’s writing was truly out of this world, it was breathtaking as always. I fell in love with her poetic and lyrical style of writing again. Even though this one didn’t do it for me, it was still good in some parts.
╰┈➤ 𝐐𝐮𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐈’𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫
"𝙄𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙣, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚."
"𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢 𝙞𝙨... 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨. 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨. 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢. 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙝𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢."
"𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗶𝗿�� 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲."
"𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙆𝙞𝙩𝙩. 𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙮 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙨."
“𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗱. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲.”
“𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚.”
"𝗢𝗵, 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱,” 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱, 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴. “𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿.”
“𝙄 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪,” 𝙍𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙣, “𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧.”
»--•--«
FUCK MY STUDIES TF ROMANIRIS ARE HERE!!
Phones are silenced, tissues are ready, coffee is made let's do this shit RomanIris I'm coming for you.
»--•--«
Fuck exams I'm gonna binge this when it comes out 😌
December 30, 2023
I love rebecca writing style. She’s has a away to make u fall in love with her words and her books. It’s very enchanting and beautiful 🫶🏻 But I’m afraid to say that I’m disappointed with this book. I excepted so much from it but it didn’t meet my expectations. There was so many lacks in the first book that i thought this one was going to cover them but i was wrong. The half of the book was very slow the book only started for me from the middle of part too! There was so many parts that felt underwhelming and didn’t make sense.
I expected more of the gods giving their power and their stories in book one. But they just felt like humans to me. Especially enva ( there was no role for her in this book she literally did nothing!!) And I wanted to hear more of forest story.I wanted more dopth to the other characters. I wanted so many things that I didn’t get😞
But i still enjoyed it though. And the last few chapters broke me. The 3 stars are for Romaniris and Romaniris alone. They’re my beautiful beautiful babes 🤍🤍
beautiful Quotes ( read at your own risk)
I expected more of the gods giving their power and their stories in book one. But they just felt like humans to me. Especially enva ( there was no role for her in this book she literally did nothing!!) And I wanted to hear more of forest story.I wanted more dopth to the other characters. I wanted so many things that I didn’t get😞
But i still enjoyed it though. And the last few chapters broke me. The 3 stars are for Romaniris and Romaniris alone. They’re my beautiful beautiful babes 🤍🤍
beautiful Quotes ( read at your own risk)
“The problem is … I want to hear from you at all hours. I want to read your words. I am greedy for them. I am hungry for them.”
“how I love to lose to you. How I love to read your words and hear the thoughts that sharpen your mind. And how I would love to be on my knees before you now, surrendering to you and you alone.”
“Their souls weren’t mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side.”
“Write me a story where you keep me up late every night with your typing, and I hide messages in your pockets for you to find when you’re at work. Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
“Some scars might fade in time, but others never would.”
March 8, 2024
Divine Rivals & Ruthless Vows, deserve six stars. 😭💔
I do not feel okay.. I am completely and utterly shattered.😭💔
These 2 books have honestly helped me heal parts of my own self and work through my own journey of grief.
Reading about grief, while grieving myself would help me sit with my own feelings around my own experience and go through the motions.
I lost my partner 7 months ago and I had first read Divine Rivals right before Christmas, it was an extremely fragile and vulnerable time for me, being the holidays and obviously having spent all my holidays with him for the last several years, naturally I was not coping well at the time.
Divine Rivals took me out of a very dark place during Christmas, I have a lot of respect and love for stories and books because of what it can do for a person's psychology, especially when they're in such a deep, dark and lonely place. It took me a little while to read Ruthless Vows because I truly knew I was going to feel the same way reading this book, as I had reading the first, in terms of stirring up my feelings around my grief and addressing it.
I really love how beautifully Rebecca Ross wrote about grief in both of these books, they felt really precious and special and it felt very gentle to read. I think that's what made it a lot harder to read for someone like me in my situation, but when I say that, I mean that in the best possible way. I cried, re-read parts over and over and paused and took breaks when I had to, to collect my mind during this book because I related so much to certain parts of both book 1 & 2.
I appreciated these books so much, to my core.
I think I appreciated this one a little more because RR took me by surprise by not only continuing Iris' journey of grief but expanding on it in Ruthless Vows. It made it that much harder to read, but also so much more humbling. ❤️🩹
These two books hold a really special place in my heart for sentimental reasons, and I can't believe how emotionally captivated and invested I felt reading these. I struggled a lot, I think a lot more than I would like to admit, it had me reminiscing a lot as well as everything else it had me experiencing and feeling.
I feel really humbled reading these 2 books, I think it's the best way to describe it. They are so beautifully written and so special. 🩷
I am truly in awe of Rebecca Ross' writing, she's another one of my favourite authors, for how incredibly skilled she is at transporting me into a whole nother realm.🩷
.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.
➻ “𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯. 𝘛𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘳.”
➻ "𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰����𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘳."
➻ “𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘒𝘪𝘵𝘵. 𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴.”
➻ "𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦."
➻ “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦.”
➻ "𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘴... 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰��� 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮."
➻ "𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶? 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴?"
➻ “𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥.”
I feel undone by this book. 😭💔🥹💖
I do not feel okay.. I am completely and utterly shattered.😭💔
These 2 books have honestly helped me heal parts of my own self and work through my own journey of grief.
Reading about grief, while grieving myself would help me sit with my own feelings around my own experience and go through the motions.
I lost my partner 7 months ago and I had first read Divine Rivals right before Christmas, it was an extremely fragile and vulnerable time for me, being the holidays and obviously having spent all my holidays with him for the last several years, naturally I was not coping well at the time.
Divine Rivals took me out of a very dark place during Christmas, I have a lot of respect and love for stories and books because of what it can do for a person's psychology, especially when they're in such a deep, dark and lonely place. It took me a little while to read Ruthless Vows because I truly knew I was going to feel the same way reading this book, as I had reading the first, in terms of stirring up my feelings around my grief and addressing it.
I really love how beautifully Rebecca Ross wrote about grief in both of these books, they felt really precious and special and it felt very gentle to read. I think that's what made it a lot harder to read for someone like me in my situation, but when I say that, I mean that in the best possible way. I cried, re-read parts over and over and paused and took breaks when I had to, to collect my mind during this book because I related so much to certain parts of both book 1 & 2.
I appreciated these books so much, to my core.
I think I appreciated this one a little more because RR took me by surprise by not only continuing Iris' journey of grief but expanding on it in Ruthless Vows. It made it that much harder to read, but also so much more humbling. ❤️🩹
These two books hold a really special place in my heart for sentimental reasons, and I can't believe how emotionally captivated and invested I felt reading these. I struggled a lot, I think a lot more than I would like to admit, it had me reminiscing a lot as well as everything else it had me experiencing and feeling.
I feel really humbled reading these 2 books, I think it's the best way to describe it. They are so beautifully written and so special. 🩷
I am truly in awe of Rebecca Ross' writing, she's another one of my favourite authors, for how incredibly skilled she is at transporting me into a whole nother realm.🩷
.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.
➻ “𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯. 𝘛𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘰𝘳.”
➻ "𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰����𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘰𝘸, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘶𝘳."
➻ “𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘒𝘪𝘵𝘵. 𝘞𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴.”
➻ "𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦."
➻ “𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦.”
➻ "𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘴... 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘧𝘳𝘰��� 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮."
➻ "𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶? 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘦? 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴?"
➻ “𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥.”
I feel undone by this book. 😭💔🥹💖
January 14, 2024
⊹ ࣪ ˖
❝ I would love to see your words catch fire with mine. ❞
˖ ࣪ ⊹
Alexa, play Timeless by Taylor Swift on repeat.
Where do I even start?
I was definitely nervous going into this book, for two reasons mainly. 1) Before reading I had seen a lot of negative reviews so I was anxious it wouldn’t deliver and 2) I was terrified my babies wouldn’t get the happy ending they deserved. Now, I see I didn’t need to be nervous. Ruthless Vows exceeded my expectations 100%, although it wasn’t quite as good as Divine Rivals (but let’s be real, no book can be as good). As for the ending… well, you’ll have to read for yourself to find out🤭
J.K. Rowling once said, “I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.” To me, the true magic of reading is falling in love with people in your favorite stories who aren’t real but seem more real to you then anything. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that magic more strongly than while reading this duology. I’m so sad that it's over 😭 it was an amazing experience.
~Book break-down~
⋆ ˚ ⁀➴ The storyline was a bit repetitive of the first book in some places, but overall, very intriguing, and kept my attention the whole time. I loved how we got more insight on the gods. It felt like I could better understand them and their perspective (although Darce definitely got what he deserved, no regrets there.) I was seriously super scared during the climax, to the point where I dreaded turning the page in fear of something terrible happening. But I’m still alive right now so clearly nothing too traumatizing happened. Although that one death did make me really sad. Also, can we talk about Ross’ writing? It is seriously the most gorgeous thing ever! She is so talented it's unbelievable. I wanted to tab every single page.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ ❝ I still would've found you, even if you had never written that essay. ❞ ˖ ࣪ ⊹
⋆ ˚ ⁀➴ Taylor Swift wrote Timeless about Roman and Iris. She told me. I am obsessed with them, and I will continue to be obsessed with them until I die. They are the most perfect, wholesome, adorable, swoon worthy (the list goes on and on) couple I’ve ever met. I was so happy that they were reunited for the better half of the book. Every moment they spend together is precious, and Ross gave us lots of couple-moments that were to die for. Chapter 25 and 35 have my heart.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ ❝ Should I be surprised that I was falling in love with you a second time? Should I be surprised that your words found me here, even in the darkness? That I’ve been carrying your E. letters close to my heart like they are a shield to protect me? ❞ ˖ ࣪ ⊹
⊹ ࣪ ˖ ❝ Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt.” ❞ ˖ ࣪ ⊹
⋆ ˚ ⁀➴ Iris: Iris Winnow is an old soul. She’s only 18, but the things she says sound like they should be coming from someone with wrinkles and gray hair. She is an amazing writer, and loves books, tea, and Roman most of all lol.
Roman: The loml <3 although he’s technically taken by Iris. Literally, the letters he wrote to Iris are all so beautiful, each one made me tear up. He sets the standard for real life men so high.
Tobias: He was a new character, and I loved him! He was so cool, with his race cars and things lol. Plus, him and Artie are sooo cute together omg.
Honorable mentions: Attie, Helena, and the Three Alouettes (who are most definitely characters, and not typewriters) 🤍
⋆ ˚ ⁀➴ This duology will forever be on my list of all time favs. I’m excited to give some of Ross’ other books a try someday! (Lmk if you guys have any recs!)
Happy reading! ~Ella
⊹ ࣪ ˖ ❝ The magic still gathers, and the past is gilded; I see the beauty in what has been but only because I have tasted both sorrow and joy in equal measures. ❞ ˖ ࣪ ⊹
_
it’s outtttt can’t wait to read it 🤭
—
it's not a want, it's a need.
only 19 more days guys 😭 roman kitt I'm coming for you don't worry 🏃🏻♀️
Alexa, play Timeless by Taylor Swift on repeat.
Where do I even start?
I was definitely nervous going into this book, for two reasons mainly. 1) Before reading I had seen a lot of negative reviews so I was anxious it wouldn’t deliver and 2) I was terrified my babies wouldn’t get the happy ending they deserved. Now, I see I didn’t need to be nervous. Ruthless Vows exceeded my expectations 100%, although it wasn’t quite as good as Divine Rivals (but let’s be real, no book can be as good). As for the ending… well, you’ll have to read for yourself to find out🤭
J.K. Rowling once said, “I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.” To me, the true magic of reading is falling in love with people in your favorite stories who aren’t real but seem more real to you then anything. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that magic more strongly than while reading this duology. I’m so sad that it's over 😭 it was an amazing experience.
~Book break-down~
(the) Plot:
⋆ ˚ ⁀➴ The storyline was a bit repetitive of the first book in some places, but overall, very intriguing, and kept my attention the whole time. I loved how we got more insight on the gods. It felt like I could better understand them and their perspective (although Darce definitely got what he deserved, no regrets there.) I was seriously super scared during the climax, to the point where I dreaded turning the page in fear of something terrible happening. But I’m still alive right now so clearly nothing too traumatizing happened. Although that one death did make me really sad. Also, can we talk about Ross’ writing? It is seriously the most gorgeous thing ever! She is so talented it's unbelievable. I wanted to tab every single page.
(the) Romance:
⊹ ࣪ ˖ ❝ I still would've found you, even if you had never written that essay. ❞ ˖ ࣪ ⊹
⋆ ˚ ⁀➴ Taylor Swift wrote Timeless about Roman and Iris. She told me. I am obsessed with them, and I will continue to be obsessed with them until I die. They are the most perfect, wholesome, adorable, swoon worthy (the list goes on and on) couple I’ve ever met. I was so happy that they were reunited for the better half of the book. Every moment they spend together is precious, and Ross gave us lots of couple-moments that were to die for. Chapter 25 and 35 have my heart.
⊹ ࣪ ˖ ❝ Should I be surprised that I was falling in love with you a second time? Should I be surprised that your words found me here, even in the darkness? That I’ve been carrying your E. letters close to my heart like they are a shield to protect me? ❞ ˖ ࣪ ⊹
(the) Characters:
⊹ ࣪ ˖ ❝ Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt.” ❞ ˖ ࣪ ⊹
⋆ ˚ ⁀➴ Iris: Iris Winnow is an old soul. She’s only 18, but the things she says sound like they should be coming from someone with wrinkles and gray hair. She is an amazing writer, and loves books, tea, and Roman most of all lol.
Roman: The loml <3 although he’s technically taken by Iris. Literally, the letters he wrote to Iris are all so beautiful, each one made me tear up. He sets the standard for real life men so high.
Tobias: He was a new character, and I loved him! He was so cool, with his race cars and things lol. Plus, him and Artie are sooo cute together omg.
Honorable mentions: Attie, Helena, and the Three Alouettes (who are most definitely characters, and not typewriters) 🤍
⋆ ˚ ⁀➴ This duology will forever be on my list of all time favs. I’m excited to give some of Ross’ other books a try someday! (Lmk if you guys have any recs!)
Happy reading! ~Ella
⊹ ࣪ ˖ ❝ The magic still gathers, and the past is gilded; I see the beauty in what has been but only because I have tasted both sorrow and joy in equal measures. ❞ ˖ ࣪ ⊹
_
it’s outtttt can’t wait to read it 🤭
—
it's not a want, it's a need.
only 19 more days guys 😭 roman kitt I'm coming for you don't worry 🏃🏻♀️
March 25, 2024
･:*:･ﾟ⁀➷ 5/5 ★
STOP. This was such a stunning conclusion to this duology!! 😫😫 Romaniris are everything to me & i cannot believe these books were so exquisitely written 🥹🥹❤️🩹❤️🩹 Such a beautiful series 💐✨️
“Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
Tropes:
✒️ Fantasy romance
✒️ Rivals to lovers
✒️ Soulmate kind of love
✒️ War plotline
Reading Divine Rivals at the end of 2023 was like a breath of fresh air and it was one of my favs of the whole year, so i was so excited to read this sequel. the mixed reviews definitely put me off a bit, but i still ended up loving it!! 🥹🫶 undeniably one of the best ya fantasy series i've read in a WHILE 💌
“I would love to see you burn with splendor. I would love to see your words catch fire with mine.”
⁀➷ Plot & Writing:
Rebecca Ross' writing is absolutely one of my fav parts of this series. i genuinely think this is one of the best writing styles i have ever read 🥺🥺 Everything about her writing is so beautiful and gorgeously descriptive, and the amount of emotion she manages to squeeze into every word is STUNNING 😫😫💗💗 the little kernels of wisdom that can be found in her writing truly speak to my soul and omg iris and roman's letters?! it is, simply put, breathtaking 💐
I must say, the plot of this book really surprised me! 🥹🫶 Divine Rivals had a great plot but it was definitely more romance focused. however, i thoroughly enjoyed the plot of this book and thought it was significantly better than in the first. It's definitely still more of a slower paced story, but there was always something happening to keep me interested and i really enjoyed learning more about the gods & the world 🥰🥰 some of the things that happened at the end tho?! i'm just going to go about my merry way and pretend i didn't read that..... 😃💔
⁀➷ Characters:
UGH the characters in this series!! I love them all sm it hurts 🥺🥺❤️🩹❤️🩹 throughout this whole book, I really wished I could just give everyone a big hug bc their pain just broke my heart 🫂🫂
➵ Iris:
UGH I LOVE HER 💘💘 i really like how she is a bit more of a softer fmc, but she really came into her own in this book and i love that for her 😌💅 The way that she talks about words and writing just speaks to my soul and i have enjoyed every second of reading about her. she's too good for this world 🥹🫂
➵ Roman:
i didn't think he could get any more perfect from the first book but somehow he managed it. This man can just do no wrong and i love him with my whole heart 😫😫💝💝 he's not your typical dark, morally grey mmc but i actually really like that and his softer, sweeter side is my fav thing ever 🥹 my precious baby 🫂🫂
“Their souls weren’t mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side.”
⁀➷ Romance:
‼️ spoilers in this section ‼️
➵ Iris and Roman:
my new comfort couple ❤️🩹❤️🩹 something about their romance just feels like so much more than just two people falling in love- it feels like a soulmate kind of connection, like two people who would find each other in every lifetime, no matter the odds. the pure love and emotional connection between the two of them is so so incredible and just touches my heart in such a special way 🥹🥹 I must say, the whole amnesia/losing memories of significant other trope is not my fav, but I will make an exception for these two. I don't think I will ever stop thinking about them- Roman and iris have stolen a piece of my heart and they're never giving it back 💘💘
“And he thought, There is no magic above or below that will ever steal this from me again.”
“Should I be surprised that I was falling in love with you a second time? Should I be surprised that your words found me here, even in the darkness? That I’ve been carrying your E. letters close to my heart like they are a shield to protect me?”
➵ Attie and Tobias:
stop why was there romance so so cute?! 🤭💘 the perfect little side romance bc it really didn't distract from Iris and Roman, but they had me giggling and smiling so much. I'm so glad Tobias was introduced in this book bc I love him and he and Attie are amazing together!! 🥹🥹
➵ Forest and Sarah:
brb sobbing my eyes out in a dark corner 💔💔
‼️ spoilers have ended ‼️
“For anyone who sought a different realm through a wardrobe door, Who wrote a letter and is still waiting for a reply, Or who dreams of stories and bleeds words.” ~ how is even the dedication so gorgeous?!
⁀➷ Playlist:
➵ Timeless- Taylor Swift
➵ Never Let Me Go- Florence + the Machine
➵ You Are in Love- Taylor Swift
➵ invisible string- Taylor Swift
➵ Cosmic Love- Florence + the Machine
➵ Till Forever Falls Apart- Ashe, FINNEAS
“You may not be a goddess, but nor am I a god. Despite our mundane lives, perhaps we make our own magic with words.”
⁀➷ In conclusion:
A new all time fav for sure 🥺🥺❤️🩹❤️🩹 PLEASE pick up this series if you want:
✔️ Beautiful writing
✔️ Magical story
✔️ Soulmate romance
✔️ Amazing characters
✔️ Rivals to lovers
Error 404: my soul not found bc it nows belong to this series 💐💝
《 2024 Challenge: Book 41 of 115 》
･:*:･ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ
I'm actually so sad this series is over 😭💔 but it has been such an amazing experience, IRISROMAN ARE EVERYTHING! 🥹🥹 this duology now owns a part of my soul ❤️🩹❤️🩹
Rtc when I can pull myself together 💌
STOP. This was such a stunning conclusion to this duology!! 😫😫 Romaniris are everything to me & i cannot believe these books were so exquisitely written 🥹🥹❤️🩹❤️🩹 Such a beautiful series 💐✨️
“Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
Tropes:
✒️ Fantasy romance
✒️ Rivals to lovers
✒️ Soulmate kind of love
✒️ War plotline
Reading Divine Rivals at the end of 2023 was like a breath of fresh air and it was one of my favs of the whole year, so i was so excited to read this sequel. the mixed reviews definitely put me off a bit, but i still ended up loving it!! 🥹🫶 undeniably one of the best ya fantasy series i've read in a WHILE 💌
“I would love to see you burn with splendor. I would love to see your words catch fire with mine.”
⁀➷ Plot & Writing:
Rebecca Ross' writing is absolutely one of my fav parts of this series. i genuinely think this is one of the best writing styles i have ever read 🥺🥺 Everything about her writing is so beautiful and gorgeously descriptive, and the amount of emotion she manages to squeeze into every word is STUNNING 😫😫💗💗 the little kernels of wisdom that can be found in her writing truly speak to my soul and omg iris and roman's letters?! it is, simply put, breathtaking 💐
I must say, the plot of this book really surprised me! 🥹🫶 Divine Rivals had a great plot but it was definitely more romance focused. however, i thoroughly enjoyed the plot of this book and thought it was significantly better than in the first. It's definitely still more of a slower paced story, but there was always something happening to keep me interested and i really enjoyed learning more about the gods & the world 🥰🥰 some of the things that happened at the end tho?! i'm just going to go about my merry way and pretend i didn't read that..... 😃💔
⁀➷ Characters:
UGH the characters in this series!! I love them all sm it hurts 🥺🥺❤️🩹❤️🩹 throughout this whole book, I really wished I could just give everyone a big hug bc their pain just broke my heart 🫂🫂
➵ Iris:
UGH I LOVE HER 💘💘 i really like how she is a bit more of a softer fmc, but she really came into her own in this book and i love that for her 😌💅 The way that she talks about words and writing just speaks to my soul and i have enjoyed every second of reading about her. she's too good for this world 🥹🫂
➵ Roman:
i didn't think he could get any more perfect from the first book but somehow he managed it. This man can just do no wrong and i love him with my whole heart 😫😫💝💝 he's not your typical dark, morally grey mmc but i actually really like that and his softer, sweeter side is my fav thing ever 🥹 my precious baby 🫂🫂
“Their souls weren’t mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side.”
⁀➷ Romance:
‼️ spoilers in this section ‼️
➵ Iris and Roman:
my new comfort couple ❤️🩹❤️🩹 something about their romance just feels like so much more than just two people falling in love- it feels like a soulmate kind of connection, like two people who would find each other in every lifetime, no matter the odds. the pure love and emotional connection between the two of them is so so incredible and just touches my heart in such a special way 🥹🥹 I must say, the whole amnesia/losing memories of significant other trope is not my fav, but I will make an exception for these two. I don't think I will ever stop thinking about them- Roman and iris have stolen a piece of my heart and they're never giving it back 💘💘
“And he thought, There is no magic above or below that will ever steal this from me again.”
“Should I be surprised that I was falling in love with you a second time? Should I be surprised that your words found me here, even in the darkness? That I’ve been carrying your E. letters close to my heart like they are a shield to protect me?”
➵ Attie and Tobias:
stop why was there romance so so cute?! 🤭💘 the perfect little side romance bc it really didn't distract from Iris and Roman, but they had me giggling and smiling so much. I'm so glad Tobias was introduced in this book bc I love him and he and Attie are amazing together!! 🥹🥹
➵ Forest and Sarah:
brb sobbing my eyes out in a dark corner 💔💔
‼️ spoilers have ended ‼️
“For anyone who sought a different realm through a wardrobe door, Who wrote a letter and is still waiting for a reply, Or who dreams of stories and bleeds words.” ~ how is even the dedication so gorgeous?!
⁀➷ Playlist:
➵ Timeless- Taylor Swift
➵ Never Let Me Go- Florence + the Machine
➵ You Are in Love- Taylor Swift
➵ invisible string- Taylor Swift
➵ Cosmic Love- Florence + the Machine
➵ Till Forever Falls Apart- Ashe, FINNEAS
“You may not be a goddess, but nor am I a god. Despite our mundane lives, perhaps we make our own magic with words.”
⁀➷ In conclusion:
A new all time fav for sure 🥺🥺❤️🩹❤️🩹 PLEASE pick up this series if you want:
✔️ Beautiful writing
✔️ Magical story
✔️ Soulmate romance
✔️ Amazing characters
✔️ Rivals to lovers
Error 404: my soul not found bc it nows belong to this series 💐💝
《 2024 Challenge: Book 41 of 115 》
･:*:･ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ･:*:･ﾟ
I'm actually so sad this series is over 😭💔 but it has been such an amazing experience, IRISROMAN ARE EVERYTHING! 🥹🥹 this duology now owns a part of my soul ❤️🩹❤️🩹
Rtc when I can pull myself together 💌
January 22, 2024
It’s no secret many, including me, were smitten with romaniris in Divine Rivals and for good reason. They were adorable yet flawed and we got to see a lot of character growth while experiencing their wholesome You’ve Got Mail but with magical typewriters love story unfurl. I was hoping to experience the same magic in Ruthless Vows. And to a degree, it delivered. There is no doubt Rebecca Ross' lyrical prose is lush and stirs up all the emotions.
So why the 3 stars? (3 stars aren’t bad. It’s still good, not great.)
Maybe it's partly because I was on holiday and not binge-reading like usual, but honestly, the first 40% was a bit of a slog, holiday or not. Still, I stuck with it, hoping for that Divine Rivals magic to kick in. And it did. It just took a while.
🚨My thoughts below are riddled with spoilers for both Divine Rivals & Ruthless Vows 🚨
Finally, the telling and not showing ratio was a bit too much for me.
Overall, the book had its moments and was mostly enjoyable, but I felt there was a lot of untapped potential and I was a lot more rapt with Divine Rivals. Nonetheless, I am keen to explore more of Rebecca Ross’ catalogue because her prose is just lovely stuff.
Ruthless Vows musings & blog | Amazon reviews.
___
The real gift to myself on Boxing Day to help me avoid awkward family conversations.
So why the 3 stars? (3 stars aren’t bad. It’s still good, not great.)
Maybe it's partly because I was on holiday and not binge-reading like usual, but honestly, the first 40% was a bit of a slog, holiday or not. Still, I stuck with it, hoping for that Divine Rivals magic to kick in. And it did. It just took a while.
🚨My thoughts below are riddled with spoilers for both Divine Rivals & Ruthless Vows 🚨
Finally, the telling and not showing ratio was a bit too much for me.
Overall, the book had its moments and was mostly enjoyable, but I felt there was a lot of untapped potential and I was a lot more rapt with Divine Rivals. Nonetheless, I am keen to explore more of Rebecca Ross’ catalogue because her prose is just lovely stuff.
Ruthless Vows musings & blog | Amazon reviews.
___
The real gift to myself on Boxing Day to help me avoid awkward family conversations.
June 1, 2024
‘Perhaps we make our own magic with words,’ writes Rebecca Ross in a novel that shows the power of words to be a bright beacon that can push back even the darkness of a world ripped apart by warring gods and enchantments. A magic spell usually requires reciting an incantation and while we seal a marriage with a kiss the spoken vows are what unites us. Words are the closest thing to magic we have in this life and Ruthless Vows, the second and concluding volume of Ross’ Letters of Enchantment series certainly champions the written word as a force of hope, courage, or even ‘a shield to protect me.’ Jumping in just days after the shocking conclusion to Divine Rivals, Ruthless Vows brings us a story of the strength, sorrow, sacrifice but also of love that can ‘burn with splendor’ and might be enough to bring an end to a vicious war writ large by divine forces, or are the immortal powers too great to contend with? Ruthless Vows is an emotional labyrinth of twists and touching character development that effectively reverses the roles in its predecessor novel and guides it towards a shocking yet satisfying conclusion. This is a love story built on language as much as it is a love letter to language and it filled my heart with bliss to read this lovely second half of an epic adventure.
‘The sun would continue setting and rising , the moon would persist in waxing and waning , the seasons would bloom and molt , and the war would still rage until one god or both fell to their grave.’
Admittedly, I found Divine Rivals to be a stronger novel if we take each separately in their own context, though Ruthless Vows does bring a great conclusion to this tale while still leaving just enough to speculation to give our minds a reason to continue wrestling with these stories as if in perpetuity. It is once again framed around the charming and heartfelt romance between Iris and Kitt who’s ‘souls weren’t mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side’ that gives us a marvelously strong emotional handhold to weather the tumult and turmoil of the war raging across the narrative. Their love story is beautiful and pure and you can’t ask for a better pair of characters to root for. Especially when they deliver tender lines such as:
Essentially these books are two people thinking “wow the way you write stirs me into the blossoming of love” which is pretty charming and they fall for the mannerisms of the mind before they even know the poetry of the body. I love the union of language to be a bond that transcends the physical, and enjoy the beauty of the ideas ‘I would love to see your words catch fire with mine.’. But the language of love and epistolary romance is what drives this book and this is a book ‘for anyone who sought a different realm through a wardrobe door,’ as Ross writes, a book for those ‘who wrote a letter and is still waiting for a reply, Or who dreams of stories and bleeds words.’ Which is always something I can root for. Especially coupled with the framing that it is their words reaching out across space and time ‘that your words found me here, even in the darkness,’ and become an emotional compass to guide one another through the hardest moments. As if it was meant to be, cosmically ordained and bestowed upon them through their shared love of making the world more beautiful one perfect phrase after another. A feat they can only accomplish together. ‘[H]is best words emerged,’ Roman realizes, ‘when he was with her.’
What logophile wouldn’t swoon, as many did in the first volume. And Here, however, the roles are reversed with Kitt uncertain who is writing to him—Iris using her middle name was a nice touch as it recalled Roman’s use of Carver but also fit her need for secrecy as this is war and loose lips sink ships as they say—and it manages to keep the romantic tension high without feeling recycled either as the dramatic events keep rolling in.
‘Did you think I would let him steal this last moment from me? When I surrender only to you, take you in my hands and burn with you before the end comes?’
While Divine Rivals was more slow-burn character development, Ruthless Vows really hits the ground running through a more plot-driven narrative that is, admittedly, still sort of a slow-burn. Personally I prefer the interpersonal dramas over the war drama but this does drive towards a rather satisfying conclusion that pulls all the small threads from the first book into a brilliant and dynamic full picture. The book plays with a lot of dualities that really make the plot sing too, with Forrest and Kitt’s “condition” due to Dacre’s magic (no spoilers but the uneasiness about Forrest lends an uneasiness about Kitt that reminded me a bit of Peeta from Mockingjay), but also the duality of relationships like Iris/Roman, Forrest/Sarah or Attie/Tobias juxtaposed with the fallout from Dacre/Enva makes the reader contemplate how each is better together but always at the risk of collapse or tragedy.
‘Keep writing. You will find the words you need to share. They are already within you, even in the shadows, hiding like jewels.’
That duality extends further into the craft of the duology itself. You can’t have one without the other, which is why the novels hinge at such a cliff-hanger moment. You have to combine them for them to make their magic, like ingredients in a potion, like Roman and Iris. It is also perhaps why Iris seems the strongest character in the first and we stretch out in her head a bit more whereas in this volume it is more Roman’s struggle in his captive state and emotional turbulence to keep aloft.
And, as this is a war novel, sacrifices will unfortunately befall our merry band of lovers. Though this also gives a necessary weight to the story and all the twists and tragedies make the pay-off land with a greater blow as Ross reminds us that war always comes at an all too great of cost. ‘I see the beauty in what has been but only because I have tasted both sorrow and joy in equal measures’ is a line just as applicable to the experience of reading this series. Ideally one should think of this as the second half of a story rather than a sequel and I’d be curious how this book would read if it were bound as one full volume. That said I think taking a bit of a break between them was beneficial for my own reading habits and I didn’t find this one quite as engaging so I took forever to read it, but it almost feels more like, say, how the recent Dune films are just two parts to a continuous story not a sequel. But I did like how this fleshed out the world, especially the magic realms. Though I also wish this had a map of Cambria. Who doesn’t love a good fantasy world map. Maps even come up. A lot.
‘Tuck my words into your pocket. Let them be your armor.’
For those who found the world building a bit flat in the first, rest assured a lot of the little ideas that pop up get much more grounding here. The enchanted buildings, for instance, play a larger role in this novel and have a rather well-executed explanation that makes sense to have saved until later. But as we get more detail about what we already know, we also discover the world is much more vast and layered than we initially thought as well. An intricate magic system around how the gods function and move about the works is unveiled and it threatens the Cambria as the characters know it as much as if reorders the readers own understanding of it.
‘I would betray you a thousandfold for her.’
While this is more a personal preference than a criticism, I did like the gods more when they were offstage and still potentially more metaphor than physical presence. Or even a halfway point may have been preferred, something like a Sauron that is menacing and omnipresent without having to interact much. Once we have Dacre moving through the text it was nice to have him humanzied but it also reduced his menace, sort of how Randall Flagg is more menacing as an idea than a character with flaws, foibles and finicky temperament in King’s The Stand. Also Enva was cool but it was almost too little and too late with her character compared to Dacre. I did, however, really enjoy the way she shifts the closure of the story in ways that don’t need a sequel, though a prequel would be welcomed. Better yet short stories about the gods, who we learn more of but only get half histories. The overall ending was mostly satisfying if a bit predictable and aiming more for a happy ending instead of an emotional impact with a message, but it still managed to pull off both for the most part.
‘I look forward to the next chapter. The one you will write in your story, as well as the one we write together.’
Overall, I found the Letters of Enchantment duology to be a delightful time full of magic and marvel where the charming romance truly carried the weight brilliantly. Ruthless Vows gets into some pretty intense territory with war crimes and and the fallout of choosing sides (Kitt’s story also enters some pretty gritty aspects of being caught between a rock and a hard place that has echoes of Kurt Vonnegut’s undercover broadcaster in Mother Night). There’s some gripping tales of betrayal and cloak and dagger maneuvers as a war rages on and information is worth more than gold. I greatly enjoyed the importance of language too and how Ross shows the importance of journalism in framing conflict and how this can quickly be weaponized into propaganda. But most of all, I loved the love story that burns brightly in all the darkness. A fantastic read that is greater than the sum of its two parts, a moving story, and one I won’t soon forget.
3.5/5
‘Write me a story where there is no ending, kitt. write to me and fill my empty spaces.’
‘The sun would continue setting and rising , the moon would persist in waxing and waning , the seasons would bloom and molt , and the war would still rage until one god or both fell to their grave.’
Admittedly, I found Divine Rivals to be a stronger novel if we take each separately in their own context, though Ruthless Vows does bring a great conclusion to this tale while still leaving just enough to speculation to give our minds a reason to continue wrestling with these stories as if in perpetuity. It is once again framed around the charming and heartfelt romance between Iris and Kitt who’s ‘souls weren’t mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side’ that gives us a marvelously strong emotional handhold to weather the tumult and turmoil of the war raging across the narrative. Their love story is beautiful and pure and you can’t ask for a better pair of characters to root for. Especially when they deliver tender lines such as:
‘May your hand be in mine, by sun and by night. Let our breaths twine and our blood become one, until our bones return to dust.’
Essentially these books are two people thinking “wow the way you write stirs me into the blossoming of love” which is pretty charming and they fall for the mannerisms of the mind before they even know the poetry of the body. I love the union of language to be a bond that transcends the physical, and enjoy the beauty of the ideas ‘I would love to see your words catch fire with mine.’. But the language of love and epistolary romance is what drives this book and this is a book ‘for anyone who sought a different realm through a wardrobe door,’ as Ross writes, a book for those ‘who wrote a letter and is still waiting for a reply, Or who dreams of stories and bleeds words.’ Which is always something I can root for. Especially coupled with the framing that it is their words reaching out across space and time ‘that your words found me here, even in the darkness,’ and become an emotional compass to guide one another through the hardest moments. As if it was meant to be, cosmically ordained and bestowed upon them through their shared love of making the world more beautiful one perfect phrase after another. A feat they can only accomplish together. ‘[H]is best words emerged,’ Roman realizes, ‘when he was with her.’
��� was only thinking how strange it is. To think how many people we cross paths with in our lives. How someone like me has found someone like you.’
What logophile wouldn’t swoon, as many did in the first volume. And Here, however, the roles are reversed with Kitt uncertain who is writing to him—Iris using her middle name was a nice touch as it recalled Roman’s use of Carver but also fit her need for secrecy as this is war and loose lips sink ships as they say—and it manages to keep the romantic tension high without feeling recycled either as the dramatic events keep rolling in.
‘Did you think I would let him steal this last moment from me? When I surrender only to you, take you in my hands and burn with you before the end comes?’
While Divine Rivals was more slow-burn character development, Ruthless Vows really hits the ground running through a more plot-driven narrative that is, admittedly, still sort of a slow-burn. Personally I prefer the interpersonal dramas over the war drama but this does drive towards a rather satisfying conclusion that pulls all the small threads from the first book into a brilliant and dynamic full picture. The book plays with a lot of dualities that really make the plot sing too, with Forrest and Kitt’s “condition” due to Dacre’s magic (no spoilers but the uneasiness about Forrest lends an uneasiness about Kitt that reminded me a bit of Peeta from Mockingjay), but also the duality of relationships like Iris/Roman, Forrest/Sarah or Attie/Tobias juxtaposed with the fallout from Dacre/Enva makes the reader contemplate how each is better together but always at the risk of collapse or tragedy.
‘Keep writing. You will find the words you need to share. They are already within you, even in the shadows, hiding like jewels.’
That duality extends further into the craft of the duology itself. You can’t have one without the other, which is why the novels hinge at such a cliff-hanger moment. You have to combine them for them to make their magic, like ingredients in a potion, like Roman and Iris. It is also perhaps why Iris seems the strongest character in the first and we stretch out in her head a bit more whereas in this volume it is more Roman’s struggle in his captive state and emotional turbulence to keep aloft.
And, as this is a war novel, sacrifices will unfortunately befall our merry band of lovers. Though this also gives a necessary weight to the story and all the twists and tragedies make the pay-off land with a greater blow as Ross reminds us that war always comes at an all too great of cost. ‘I see the beauty in what has been but only because I have tasted both sorrow and joy in equal measures’ is a line just as applicable to the experience of reading this series. Ideally one should think of this as the second half of a story rather than a sequel and I’d be curious how this book would read if it were bound as one full volume. That said I think taking a bit of a break between them was beneficial for my own reading habits and I didn’t find this one quite as engaging so I took forever to read it, but it almost feels more like, say, how the recent Dune films are just two parts to a continuous story not a sequel. But I did like how this fleshed out the world, especially the magic realms. Though I also wish this had a map of Cambria. Who doesn’t love a good fantasy world map. Maps even come up. A lot.
‘Tuck my words into your pocket. Let them be your armor.’
For those who found the world building a bit flat in the first, rest assured a lot of the little ideas that pop up get much more grounding here. The enchanted buildings, for instance, play a larger role in this novel and have a rather well-executed explanation that makes sense to have saved until later. But as we get more detail about what we already know, we also discover the world is much more vast and layered than we initially thought as well. An intricate magic system around how the gods function and move about the works is unveiled and it threatens the Cambria as the characters know it as much as if reorders the readers own understanding of it.
‘I would betray you a thousandfold for her.’
While this is more a personal preference than a criticism, I did like the gods more when they were offstage and still potentially more metaphor than physical presence. Or even a halfway point may have been preferred, something like a Sauron that is menacing and omnipresent without having to interact much. Once we have Dacre moving through the text it was nice to have him humanzied but it also reduced his menace, sort of how Randall Flagg is more menacing as an idea than a character with flaws, foibles and finicky temperament in King’s The Stand. Also Enva was cool but it was almost too little and too late with her character compared to Dacre. I did, however, really enjoy the way she shifts the closure of the story in ways that don’t need a sequel, though a prequel would be welcomed. Better yet short stories about the gods, who we learn more of but only get half histories. The overall ending was mostly satisfying if a bit predictable and aiming more for a happy ending instead of an emotional impact with a message, but it still managed to pull off both for the most part.
‘I look forward to the next chapter. The one you will write in your story, as well as the one we write together.’
Overall, I found the Letters of Enchantment duology to be a delightful time full of magic and marvel where the charming romance truly carried the weight brilliantly. Ruthless Vows gets into some pretty intense territory with war crimes and and the fallout of choosing sides (Kitt’s story also enters some pretty gritty aspects of being caught between a rock and a hard place that has echoes of Kurt Vonnegut’s undercover broadcaster in Mother Night). There’s some gripping tales of betrayal and cloak and dagger maneuvers as a war rages on and information is worth more than gold. I greatly enjoyed the importance of language too and how Ross shows the importance of journalism in framing conflict and how this can quickly be weaponized into propaganda. But most of all, I loved the love story that burns brightly in all the darkness. A fantastic read that is greater than the sum of its two parts, a moving story, and one I won’t soon forget.
3.5/5
‘Write me a story where there is no ending, kitt. write to me and fill my empty spaces.’
June 16, 2024
➼ 3.5★
Do I recommend this book? Well yes, even tho I prefer the first one, this is still a great reading!
This is “For anyone who sought a different realm through a wardrobe door, Who wrote a letter and is still waiting for a reply, Or who dreams of stories and bleeds words.”
Divine Rivals review
finally🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 i missed iris and roman sm❤️🩹💌
“You may not be a goddess, but nor am I a god. Despite our mundane lives, perhaps we make our own magic with words.”
Mood of the book
Can’t catch me now by Olivia Rodrigo
Invisible string by Taylor Swift
It���s finally time to review this book. I have mixed feeling with this one bc at first, I gave it 4 stars bc I couldn’t bring myself to give it 3 stars. But then, the more I thought about it, the more I didn’t want to give it 4 stars since it doesn’t deserve it… hence the 3,5 stars. Ngl I liked this book but I guess I had high expectations since the first one was a truly masterpiece.
But let’s get started.
Don’t read this review if you haven’t read Divine Rivals yet!!
About the plot:
This book starts where Divine Rivals left things.
Iris is now at home, in Oath, with her brother Forest, but the war is yet to come to an end. She doesn’t know where Roman is or if he’s still alive. While Roman finds now himself to write for the enemy. One day tho, a strange letter from even a stranger sender arrives through his wardrobe door. Little does he know, this letter is the beginning of a correspondence with a penpal who is so mysterious, yet so familiar. And as their connection deepens, the two of them will risk everything to change the future of the war.
My thoughts:
This book is beautifully written as the first one, Rebecca Ross as a way with words which is rare to find. However, it’s nothing compared to Divine Rivals. This one is slower, has less romance and its focus in on the war. The thing I love the most about DR was the amount of letters Iris and Romance wrote for each other. RV doesn’t have the same amount, not even gives you the same emotions or feelings. While DR was about their love and their letters, RV is more about the war aspect and gods. Needless to say atp that I was expecting more romance…
One thing I appreciate was the fact that the author added more Roman’s pov, she wrote about his thoughts, his feelings way more. I also appreciate knowing more of Dacre and Enva, in the first one they were more in the background, while in this I felt like they were more present.
The ending felt a little bit rushed. While the whole book was slow and the events were described sluggishly, the ending happened so fast and I feel like some things were left behind.
Overall, it’s a great book. This is just my opinion, I hope y’all enjoyed it much more!
Quotes:
“I would love to see your words catch fire with mine.”
“Their souls weren’t mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side”
“How I love to lose to you. How I love to read your words and hear the thoughts that sharpen your mind. And how I would love to be on my knees before you now, surrendering to you and you alone.”
“Write me a story where you keep me up late every night with your typing, and I hide messages in your pockets for you to find when you’re at work. Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
“She was very good at burying things like that, her anguish and her sorrow and sometimes even the reality of what she faced. But she didn't quite know how to let them go without losing vital pieces of herself.”
"I'm not a soldier, sir. I've never been trained how to shoot a gun, or to handle a grenade, or to move like a shadow. At least, not that I remember. But what I do have are my words. I don't want to fight with half a heart, but all of it."
“And just for one moonrise, let us act as if there are no burdens weighing us down. No responsibilities or tomorrows. No gods and no war.”
“He could wake in the deepest region of Dacre's realm, as far from the moon and sun as divinity could shackle him. He could wake and not know his name, forgetting every word he had ever written. But he would never forget the scent of Iris's skin, the sound of her voice. The way she had looked at him.
The confidence of her hands.
And he thought, There is no magic above or below that will ever steal this from me again.”
“Sometimes,” Iris began, “I don’t think we know what we’re made of until the worst moment possible happens. Then we must decide who we truly are and what is most important to us. I think we’re often surprised by what we become.”
“The magic still gathers, and the past is gilded; I see the beauty in what has been but only because I have tasted both sorrow and joy in equal measures.”
“Do we live by our past, or do we live by what is to come? Do we choose to waste time looking behind to things that have already happened and cannot be changed, or do we keep our sight forward on what we can see?”
Do I recommend this book? Well yes, even tho I prefer the first one, this is still a great reading!
This is “For anyone who sought a different realm through a wardrobe door, Who wrote a letter and is still waiting for a reply, Or who dreams of stories and bleeds words.”
Divine Rivals review
finally🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 i missed iris and roman sm❤️🩹💌
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