• war imagery
• death

• fantasy war
• alternative universe 1940s Europe
• news reporter- think teacups and typewriters
• letters

• dual pov
• rivals to lovers-workplace romance
• slowburn – like so slow
• rich boy poor girl
• letters
• found family

Set in a reimagining of 1940s Europe, Divine Rivals is a dual pov romantasy story following our two main protagonists: Iris and Roman. Iris- a poor high school drop out who’s brother just went off to war and Roman- the son of a rich business owner who works at the same newspaper. After her brother goes off to fight in the war and her mother falls into alcoholism, Iris is forced to drop out of high school and become an intern at the Oath Gazette. To earn a permanent job at the Gazette, she must fight her competition -Roman Kitt- for the coveted spot as a columnist. Having only her love of writing and her Grandmother’s old typewriter at her side, Iris must brave war to earn her place as a columnist, being forced to leave her dusty cubical and go to the front lines to see the real story. As the story of war unfolds another mystery reveals itself – letters from a mysterious stranger who may be closer than initially thought.

I absolutely adored this book! Before reading this book, I was in quite the reading slump, not having read a novel to completion for quite a few months. The slow-burn romance was just rich enough to satisfy a little while also making the reader crave more. The world-building is very good, having a very “show, don’t tell” style that I really appreciate. I could barely put the book down, finishing it in a couple of weeks, despite still being in University at the time of reading! Truly an amazing read that I would suggest to just about anyone. It gets a 10/10 from me!