“I am coming to love him, in two different ways. Face to face, and word to word.”
Divine Rivals is a 2023 YA romantasy book by Rebecca Ross and the first entry in her Letters of Enchantment duology. The story centres around eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow, who is desperately trying to keep her family together as the ancient gods renew their war with one another. Her best bet is to win a columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette. To combat her anxieties, she begins writing letters to her missing brother, which vanish from behind her wardrobe and into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. What follows are his replies and the start of a profound connection that follows Iris from the frontlines of the battlefield to the furthest reaches of her heart. If you’re looking for more epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy tales, join us today at What We Reading for the best books like Divine Rivals!
A River Enchanted (Elements Of Cadence #1) – Rebecca Ross
Kicking off our list of books like Divine Rivals is another one of Rebecca Ross’ best books, A River Enchanted. Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t set foot on Cadence for over a decade. He’s perfectly happy studying music at his university on the mainland. But, when young girls begin mysteriously disappearing from the island, he is summoned back home to investigate.
Enchantments run deep on the island, gossip runs rife through its inhabitants and a single cut can instil incredible fear. The spirits that rule the island gleefully meddle in the lives of the locals, and Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack’s childhood enemy knows only the music of a bard like can convince them to give up the missing girls. As they reluctantly agree to work together, they soon find they make better allies than enemies and, with every song played, their bond grows into something more.
What The River Knows (Secrets Of The Nile #1) – Isabel Ibañez
Isabel Ibañez worked on her book What the River Knows at the same time Rebecca Ross was writing Divine Rivals. The two peer-critiqued one another, and both books are dedicated to each other. So perhaps it isn’t a surprise to see it feature as one of our must-reads for any fans of Divine Rivals. Inez Olivera comes from an affluent family in nineteenth-century Buenos Aires and has everything most people could dream of.
When she receives word of her parents’ sudden deaths, Inez finds herself inheriting a massive fortune and a mysterious new guardian, an archaeologist in partnership with his Egyptian brother-in-law. Eager for answers, Inez sails to Cairo. But, upon her arrival, old magic tied to a gold ring her father had given to her soon leads to her discovering there is far more to her parents’ disappearance than she was first led to believe.
Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy #1) – Lauren Roberts
Only the Elites belong in the kingdom of Ilya. The powers these Elites have possessed for decades were both graciously gifted to them by the Plague, though not everyone inflicted were fortunate enough to survive and reap the benefits. Those born without powers are known as Ordinaries. And when the king decrees that all Ordinaries are to be exiled, Paedyn Gray finds herself a felon by birth and a thief just to survive.
Taught to be overly observant by her father, Paedyn knows how to survive in the slums as an Ordinary. She poses as a psychic in the crowded city, blending in alongside the Elites. But when she saves one of the Ilyas princes, she finds herself caught in the Purging Trials, where the Elites demonstrate all of their powers. If the brutal competition doesn’t kill her, the prince she’s fighting feelings for almost certainly will when he discovers what she is – totally ordinary.
The Undertaking Of Hart And Mercy (The Undertaking Of Hart And Mercy #1) – Megan Bannen
Hart is a marshal, tasked with patrolling the mysterious and magical wilds of Tanria. It’s a thankless task, leaving him plenty of time to ponder on his loneliness. On the other hand, Mercy never has a moment to herself. She’s been keeping Birdsall & Son Undertakers afloat on her own, in defiance of people like Hart who seem to make a habit out of turning up at the worst times.
After yet another draining run-in with Mercy, Hart finds himself writing a letter addressed simply to ‘A Friend’. To his surprise, a reply comes back to him and a tentative friendship soon begins to blossom. If only Hart knew the person he was giving his heart to is his biggest rival – Mercy. As the dangers around Tarnia grow, so does their correspondence. Another one of the best fantasy books like Divine Rivals, Megan Bannen’s The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy is a story of two pen pals and their growing romance.
A Thousand Heartbeats – Kiera Cass
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Selection, A Thousand Heartbeats is another YA fantasy book similar to Divine Rivals for readers looking for another touching enemies-to-lovers read. Princess Annika has lived a life of comfort. But, the king who was once her loving father, has grown cold and distant. Annika will soon be forced into a loveless marriage for political gain.
Miles away, Lennox has surrendered his own comfort in devotion to the Dahrainian army, believing that the throne that was stolen from them might be returned. For Lennox, the idea of love is just a distraction away from his people. Yet, when true love defies the odds and reaches them both, both Annika and Lennox will find themselves bound by its call.
Check Out The Best Books Like The Selection
Lovely War – Julie Berry
One of the best books like Divine Rivals for capturing the feel of lovers staying in touch during times of war, Lovely War is a 2019 historical romance story by Julie Berry. In 1917, Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. When they fall in love, it is immediate and deep, and cut short when James is shipped off to the ravaged battlefields of the First World War. Aubrey Edwards also finds himself on his way to the front. However, love is the last thing on his mind. At least that is until he meets Colette Fournier, a Belgian chanteuse who has already survived unspeakable horrors.
Thirty years on from when these four lovers’ fates collide, the Greek goddess Aphrodite recounts their stories to her husband, Hephaestus, and her lover, Ares, in a Manhatten hotel room as the Second World War reaches its apex. Through this sweeping, multi-layered tale, she seeks to find the answer to why love and war are eternally drawn to one another.
The Jasad Heir (The Scorched Throne #1) – Sara Hashem
Nominated for Best Romantasy in the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards, Sara Hashem’s The Jasad Heir is one of the best books like Divine Rivals for anyone looking for another tantalising ‘will they-won’t they’ tale. Ten years ago, the kingdom of Jasad burned. Its magic was outlawed, and all of its family members were killed. At least, that’s what Sylvie, the Lost Heir of Jasad, wants people to believe.
But, when Arin, the Nizahl Heir and her greatest enemy, tracks a group of Jasadi rebels to her village, a moment of anger reveals Sylvia’s magic and captures his attention. In order to save her life, Sylvia is forced into an impossible deal. Across this Egyptian-inspired fantasy, Sylvia finds herself embroiled in a deadly game and forced to choose between the life she wants and the one she left behind as her feelings for Arin grow more and more complicated.
Modern Diviniation (Modern Divination #1) – Isabel Agajanian
Aurelia Schwartz has spent twenty-three years maintaining the thin status quo between carefully co-ordinated human life, and the magical one that she endures in secret. With a devoted best friend and top marks at a revered university, everything she has ever wanted is right within her grasp. Except, her green magic has begun to fade. As if that wasn’t enough to upend her life, a fateful encounter with another power-hungry witch threatens to rob her of all her hard work.
Thrown into an unexpected alliance with her painfully arrogant classmate, Aurelia goes into hiding among a peculiar family of witches. There, she discovers that the secret to safety is to disregard all of the rules she has abided by her whole life. Another great fantasy book similar to Divine Rivals, Isabel Agajanian’s Modern Divination features slow-burning romance and a touch of enemies-to-lovers tropes.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
