If you have been anywhere near BookTok or the romantasy sphere in recent years, then you have probably stumbled across the Letters of Enchantment duology by Rebecca Ross. Divine Rivals and its sequel, Ruthless Vows, were both published in 2023, feeding the book community and your #fyp with an exciting fantasy war setting and the heart-warming romance between two aspiring journalists. Combine different social status, aspiring journalists and a passion for writing, and you get an impeccable action-packed love story worthy of starting your book collection or joining a book club.
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Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt are two very intriguing, and masterfully written characters. From their initial rivalry to their falling for each other, they give us some of the most beautiful quotes. We have scoured Goodreads and other sources and made a collection of those beautiful lines in an effort to convince you to give these Rebecca Ross books a place on your bookshelf.
And if, like us, you are a fan of quotes and their ever-lasting scar on your heart, we have collected the 50 best book lover quotes, and for our romantasy bookworms, we also suggest the best SJM quotes, the top Fourth Wing quotes and the most romantic Powerless quotes.
Let’s dive into the Divine Rivals quotes, dear bookworms. But be warned, there will be spoilers ahead. If you like this Rebecca Ross duology, check out our Divine Rivals book summary, too.
From Iris pouring her heart and soul into those letters she never thought would be answered and Roman being Carver, to Roman being captured by Dacre, and falling in love with Iris yet again.
1. “I am coming to love him, in two different ways. Face to face, and word to word.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
2. “Iris,” said Roman, “you are worthy of love. You are worthy to feel joy right now, even in the darkness. And just in case you’re wondering … I’m not going anywhere, unless you tell me to leave, and even then, we might need to negotiate.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
3. “I betrayed you,” Roman began, “because I love her.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
4. “He found me on my darkest day. He followed me to war, to the front lines. He came between me and Death, taking wounds that were supposed to be mine.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
5. “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 return to dust. Even then, may I find your soul still sworn to mine.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
6. “You mentioned the other day that you think I’m only here to ‘outshine’ you. But that’s the furthest thing from the truth. I broke my engagement, quit my job, and traveled six hundred kilometers into war-torn land to be with you, Iris.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
7. “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.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
8. “Agreed. Let us dare to change the tides. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
9. “For I would offer you the world reforged if you would be brave enough to stretch out your hand and take it.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
10. “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?”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
11. “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 looked at him. The confidence of her hands. And he, though, There is no magic above or below that will ever steal this from me again.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
12. “Did you think I would let him tell me when and how to touch you? 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?”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
13. “He felt Iris cling to him, and he knew if he didn’t pull away from her that instant, he never would. He would follow her into her flat. He would peel away their damp clothes and lie beside her in bed. He would hold her to his heart and pray the morning never came.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
14. “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.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
15. “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.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
16. “She has to survive this, Roman thought. He didn’t want to live in a world without her and her words.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
17. “She and Roman would survive this war. They would have the chance to grow old together, year by year. They would be friends until they both finally acknowledged the truth. And they would have everything that other couples had—the arguments and the hand-holding in the market and the gradual exploration of their bodies and the birthday celebrations and the journeys to new cities and the living as one and sharing a bed and the gradual sense of melting into each other. Their names would be entwined—Roman and Iris or Winnow and Kitt because could you truly have one without the other?—and they would write on their typewriters and ruthlessly edit each other’s pieces and read books by candlelight at night.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
18. “I want your hand to be in mine, no matter what comes.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
19. “I love you, Iris. And I want you to see me. I want you to know me. Through the smoke and the firelight and kilometers that once dwelled between us. Do you see me?”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
20. “I don’t know who I would be without you, but you have made me in all ways better than I ever was or could have ever hoped to be.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
21. “It made him want to collide with her, his lips on her neck, the curve of her ribs. Tasting her mouth. It made him want to draw out all those words he loved from her, but most of all the way she said his name.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
22. “His hands reached for her as she reached for him, and the stillness broke when they touched, as if they had cracked the world.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
23. “I would love to see you burn with splendor. I would love to see your words catch fire with mine.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
24. “Their souls weren’t mirrors but complements, constellations that burned side by side.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
25. “Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
Cause don’t we all love when the author makes it her personal goal to make fantasy books inspiring as ever.
1. “Endings were often found in beginnings.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
2. “It takes courage to let down your armor, to welcome people to see you as you are. Sometimes I feel the same as you: I can’t risk having people behold me as I truly am. But there’s also a small voice in the back of my mind, a voice that tells me, “You will miss so much by being so guarded.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
3. “I don't think you realize how strong you are because sometimes strength isn’t swords and steel and fire, as we are so often made to believe. Sometimes it’s found in quiet, gentle places.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
4. “I think we all wear armor. I think those who don’t are fools, risking the pain of being wounded by the sharp edges of the world, over and over again. But if I’ve learned anything from those fools, it is that to be vulnerable is a strength most of us fear. It takes courage to let down your armor, to welcome people to see you as you are.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
5. “In the meantime, I hope you will find your place, wherever you are. Even in the silence, I hope you will find the words you need to share.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
6. “Others who share your pain will also help you heal. Because you are not alone. Not in your fear or your grief or your hopes or your dreams. You are not alone.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
7. “I don’t want to wake up when I’m seventy-four only to realize I haven’t lived.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
8. “My favorite season is autumn because my mum and I both believed that’s the only time when magic can be tasted in the air.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
9. “But I realize that people are just people, and they carry their own set of fears, dreams, desires, pains, and mistakes. I can’t expect someone else to make me feel complete; I must find it on my own. ”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
10. “And yet, I keep moving forward. On some days, I’m afraid, but most days, I simply want to achieve those things I dream of.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
11. “Let us make our names exactly what we want them to be.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
12. “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.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
13. “Keep writing. You will find the words you need to share. They are already within you, even in the shadows, hiding like jewels. —C.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
14. “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.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
15. “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?”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
16. “And just for one moonrise, let us act as if there are no burdens weighing us down. No responsibilities or tomorrows.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
17. “I am so afraid. And yet, how I long to be vulnerable and brave when it comes to my own heart.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
18. “I grew something living in a season of death.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
19. “You dream to make sense of the world you are in.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
20. “I try to close my eyes and rest, but I’m too tempted to watch the world pass by my window.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
As an extra treat, we have not a quote from Divine rivals but the author’s inspiring dedication:
21. “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.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
We all know that our favorite books are those that rip our hearts open when the lovers cannot be together—see Madeline Miller for maximum heartbreak, and considering there is a deadly war threatening to end their lives, these lines cut deep.
1. “I never told you that I love you. And I regret that, most of all.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
2. “And I’m not afraid to be alone, but I’m tired of being the one left behind.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
3. “Be safe. Be well. I’ll write soon.”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
4. “The days to come will only grow darker. And when you find something good? You hold on to it. You don’t waste time worrying about things that won’t even matter in the end. Rather, you take a risk for that light. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”
― Rebecca Ross, Divine Rivals
5. “She was broken by what could have been. By what now would never be.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
6. “A shiver coursed through him as he looked up at the moon and the stars. He remembered everything.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
7. “But all good things eventually came to an end. And all songs had a final verse.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
8. “How utterly sobering it was, then, to realize how seldom daydreams like that aligned with reality.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
9. “Even then, Forest never let go of her hand.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
10. “I’ll wait here,” Roman said. “Until you make it safely inside.”
― Rebecca Ross, Ruthless Vows
And just like that, we have come to the end of this bookish rollercoaster.
If you are in the mood for a slow-burn romance, with amazing dialogues, confessions to die for, and a love strong enough to transcend distance and war, then Divine Rivals will probably become your favorite book. As Iris said, to be vulnerable is a strength and we shouldn’t fear it, dear bookworms, because it leads to the world of reading and writing, and what a wonderful realm that is!
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Always living in her own enchanted little world, Christina discovered the magic that can be hidden within the pages of a book when one dares to take a closer look from a tender age. An avid reader, she is constantly inspired to delve into the secrets woven between the lines and challenges herself to find her own voice amidst the chaos. She is a dedicated fan of the classics, but the supernatural creatures that have tormented readers for years are her kryptonite. The mastery it takes to infuse the author's essence, molded by the era they grew up in to their innermost desires fascinates her. Undoubtedly, putting her passion and knowledge on paper has a mesmerizing allure on her, and following the steps of so many other dreamers before her she wishes to leave her mark in the literary world. Guided by T.S Eliot’s haunting words: “I will show you fear in a handful of dust” she intends to wreak havoc in the minds of her future readers.
