Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross: A Spoiler Free Review
Working Title: The epic conclusion to Divine Rivals hits all the right beats
Hello to all my loyal, royal readers! While I usually publish on Friday, I was too excited about this book to keep this short review under wraps. Fair warning however. This post contains numerous spoilers for Divine Rivals, the first half of this duology. If you have not yet read it yet, please save this bonus article for later. If you enjoy this or my other articles, please consider sharing it with the other romantasy fans in your life!
If you are reading these words, I hope it means you loved Divine Rivals. Better yet, you’re ready to dive into book two (or you have already). If you didn’t wait for this review to start the second book, I cannot fault you. After all, any duology worth reading ALWAYS leaves your beloved characters in a really bad place at the end of book one. If book two is already published, it really must be read.
Immediately.
Ruthless Vows opens just days after the horrific bombing of Avalon Bluff, the heart-rending separation of Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt, and the stomach churning realization that the dark God Dacre has taken Roman prisoner. The war is not going well for Enva’s forces, and Iris is now back in her home city of Oath. Her relationship with her brother Forest is strained at best. She has mixed feelings over the manner in which he “rescued” her, leaving Roman behind and not caring one whit that she promised to stay with her husband no matter what. Forest is also physically and mentally damaged from his time as a brainwashed prisoner. One of Dacre’s evil tricks is to take men who are nearly dead to heal them. In the process, he wipes their memories and then orders them to fight against their former comrades.
No no no…
The tale Forest tells in the opening chapters sets up the return to Roman’s POV. On the one hand, it’s AWFUL to see him struggle amid his new circumstances. But, on the other hand, Ross has very cleverly turned the premise of the first book on its head. When Iris first started writing to “C”, she had no idea who he was, only that she was falling in love. Now its Roman’s turn to write and develop feels for someone unknown. This bookend approach to the narrative is so bloody brilliant. The use of structure to hammer home the theme is what differentiates a good story from great writing. BRAVO!!!!
How does that work, when we know that Iris left her typewriter behind in Marisol’s kitchen? Well, you will have to read the book to find out.
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
Romance: 🌶️ 1.5 out of 5 hot peppers.
😨 Lovers that are separated by war
💟 Secret trysts
💀 I would die for you
Worldbuilding/Fantasy Elements:
👿 Bad tempered God of the Underworld
🎼Sweet tempered Goddess of Music and Mercy
🐉Wyverns (also called eithrals)
🏰 Setting inspired by WW1 France/trench warfare
Trigger Warnings: On page descriptions of PTSD
The Romance: Remains Sweet and Clean
The amount of spice in the second volume remains the same as the first. I will say again Ross’ ability to write what it feels like to be in love while keeping it on the clean side is impressive. Sometimes less is more. Plus I am a total, utter sucker for men who write poetic love letters. This series is named Letters of Enchantment. Basically, Roman Kitt is perfect book boyfriend material.
If you somehow missed my review of the romance in Divine Rivals, click here!
The Fantasy: Divine Rivals are on the Page
Readers who were hoping for more in terms of fantasy worldbuilding will find their wish for more magic is granted, though as before, the main characters remain as human as ever. I would not call the second half of the story “fantasy lite” per se, as the reader is finally granted access to Dacre’s underground realm, complete with scary creatures and magical abilities. However, those hoping for more insight into the magic laid out in book one should be pleased with the concluding volume of this duology.
My Favorite Steamy Romantic Quote
She swallowed the ache in her throat, leaning back to meet his gaze. Gently, as if he were a dream, she touched his hair. She smoothed the dark tendrils from his brow.
“Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.”
Final Thoughts
I really thought this was the perfect ending to Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt’s story. I gasped aloud. I cried. I appreciated the fact that the ending was so poignant. Ross does not gloss over the horrors of war. Those who survive—whether they are characters or folks you know IRL—need time to heal and start over after witnessing the worst of humanity. Yet we can do hard things with the aid of those we love and who love us in return.