Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment #1) by Rebecca Ross

"Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt are in fierce competition for the position of Columnist at the Oath Gazette. They write about the war brewing between two Gods, Dacre, God of the underworld and Enva, Goddess of the sky. The war has ravaged the countryside and taken Iris' brother, Forest, away, since she hasn't heard from him in months. When tragedy strikes, Iris decides to sign up as a War Correspondent and head to the frontlines and Roman isn't far behind. This had an interesting, idyllic, WWI, fighting in the trenches feel and though the magic was vague, it was believable and I quite enjoyed it. I'm eager to see how the series progresses." 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pros: It's quite a unique way to introduce the Frenemies trope but Ross did it well/Roman was an intense, gentle, caring soul, a very good character, very likable. 

Cons: Frenemies trope/Iris' cluelessness about Carver made me chuckle/The romance was a bit melodramatic and silly at times. 

Full Review:

Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt are each others fiercest competition. They're both battling for the position of Columnist at the Oath Gazette. Both are gifted writers but they come from vastly different backgrounds. Roman is rich, from a family who's made most of their money in building the railroad, while Iris has had to scrounge and work for every penny. 

Things became much more complicated when Iris' brother, Forest, decided to enlist to fight in the war against Dacre, the fierce, violent God of the underworld. He's fighting on the side of Enva, the Goddess of the skies and though Iris tries to understand why Forest enlisted, honestly, she feels abandoned. The fact that her mother has taken to drinking to try and ease the pain of her son's absence only makes things worse. 

Iris puts all her frustration into her work but also into letters. She writes them out on the typewriter her grandmother gave to her. At first the letters were to Forest, though she never mailed them. She simply slid them into her closet, thinking she'd forget about them and that it felt better to get all of hr emotions out on the page. 

Of course, everything changes when one day, she receives a reply. A simple response, resting on the floor of her closer that says, "This is not Forest." 

Iris is stunned and bouyed by curiosity, she decides to write the person back. They form a correspondence and over time, a true and deep friendship that borders on love. 

When tragedy strikes Iris though, her whole life is changed. And she decides that it's time she start writing her own story. So she packs her type-writer and takes a job as a War Correspondent with the Inkridden Tribute. She's sent to the front lines and in her correspondence with Carver, reveals that she's terrified but hopeful that her stories will help soothe the families of the soldiers who fight and perhaps she can finally track down her brother. 

Roman meanwhile, who's father has planned Roman's entire life for him, decides it high time he start making his own decisions and soon follows in Iris' independent footsteps. 

This was a dark but deep and intense novel about family, love and the truths we're willing to tell on paper but not necessarily out loud. It was a very unique way of creating a relationship and Ross did it well, though Iris' cluelessness was a bit laughable. It had a definite, Great Britain in WWI, fighting in the trenches feel but the world that Ross has created is vague enough to leave the reader curious and the characters are likable enough that I'm eager to see how the sequel turns out.