Book Review: ‘Ruthless Vows’ by Rebecca Ross
Our bonus book of the month was Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross!
After reading Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross in February, the MBC community needed to finish the duology. The love the MBC community had for the first novel is unmatched this year for our reading list. Ross is a beautiful writer and we were fortunate enough to have her join Maude Garrett as they discussed her Letter of Enchantment duology.
Iris and Roman are a lovely couple and after reading Ruthless Vows they have easily become one of our favourite book couples. The one question we have for all the readers who have already read the duology is if Divine Rivals is better than Ruthless Vows. Let us know in the comments below!
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
Synopsis:
Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre’s movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that’s unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor’s reign.
Since waking below in Dacre’s realm, Roman cannot remember his past. But given the reassurance that his memories will return in time, Roman begins to write articles for Dacre, uncertain of his place in the greater scheme of the war. When a strange letter arrives by wardrobe door, Roman is first suspicious, then intrigued. As he strikes up a correspondence with his mysterious pen pal, Roman will soon have to make a decision: to stand with Dacre or betray the god who healed him. And as the days grow darker, inevitably drawing Roman and Iris closer together…the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.
***SPOILERS BELOW***
Ruthless vows Quotes
Even if the dream was real, which I believe it wasn't, do we live by our past, or do we live by what is to come? Do we choose to waste time looking behind at things that have already happened and cannot be changed, or do we keep our sight forward on what we can see?
The magic still gathers, and the past is gilded; I see the beauty in what has been only because I have tasted both sorrow and joy in equal measures.
But I must remind myself that sometimes we write for ourselves and sometimes we write for others. And sometimes those lines blur when we least expect them to. Whenever such happened in my past... I remember that I have only been strengthened by it.
Iris kept her gaze on the road behind them, marked by tires, rutted by storms. She kept her gaze on the shrinking hounds until their hearts winked out, like candle flames being snuffed into darkness,
It would be remiss of me not to return the same unto you, so let me ask my questions, as if I am sowing three wishes into a field of gold, or conjuring a spell that requires three answers from you in order for it to be whole.
We miss a multitude of opportunities, and so we ask ourselves, decades later, what could have been
She tasted just as he remembered. Like sugar in strong black tea. Lavender. The first rays of dawn. Mist that has just burned away from the meadow.
He can mend what he breaks but I am music and knowledge, rain and harvest. I am nightmares and dreams and illusions. And if he were to kill me as he longs to do, then he would take all my magic into himself.
Themes
PTSD
War-time relationships
Violence
Grief
Familial Responsibilities
Music
Journalistic Integrity
A Court of Mist and Fury
Characters
Iris Winnow - war correspondent at the Inkridden Tribune and high school dropout with a tough upbringing. Having lost her family and a possible job opportunity, she leaves Oath to become a war correspondent at the Inkridden Tribute. Has feelings toward her mysterious pen pal she only knows as Carver and Roman C. Kitt, her rival at the Oath Gazette.
Forest Winnow - brother of Iris and currently in the gods’ war on behalf of Enva. His whereabouts are unknown and he has not written to Iris despite promising to do so. He dies at the end with his lover, Sarah Prindle.
Aster Winnow - mother of Iris. She has fallen on hard times and is killed by a tram while alone at night.
Daisy Elizabeth Winnow - grandmother of Iris. She had one of the 3 Alouette typewriters and was great friends with the other two holders of them.
Roman Carver Kitt - well-to-do columnist at the Oath Gazette. Pressured by his family to gain status as a columnist at the Oath Gazette and to marry Elinor Little to improve his family’s fortunes.
Georgiana//Del Kitt - sister of Roman. She died by drowning when Roman took a nap while off by themselves.
Mr. Kitt - well-to-do father of Roman. Forces his son into an arranged marriage and uses the guilt for his dead daughter to coerce Roman into the engagement.
Nan Kitt - blunt and wise grandmother of Roman. She had one of the 3 Alouette typewriters and was great friends with the other two holders of them. She also finds the history between Enva and Dacre so Roman can give it to Iris.
Elinor Little - daughter of Herman Little and betrothed to Roman despite having no love towards him.
Enva Skyward - goddess who plays music to convince people to join the gods’ war on her behalf. Has a history with Dacre where he supposedly coerced her into going into her Underworld to live with him and play for his court until escaping. She ends up killing most of the remaining gods while giving Iris a magic sword to slay Dacre.
Dacre Underling - god that started a war against Enva as revenge for the escape of Enva from his land. He is an excellent speaker, manipulative, and ruthless. Heals Roman’s wounds to use him as a war correspondent and to coerce Iris as well.
Sarah Prindle - friend of Iris and another worker at the Oath Gazette. Ends up in a relationship with Forest and dies with him.
Zeb Autry - boss at the Oath Gazette.
Thea Attwood (Attie) - war correspondent for the Inkridden Tribune. Her family of musicians had their stringed instruments confiscated by locals through fear of their use by Enva.
Tobias Bexley - driver and lover of Attie.
Marisol Torres - owner of bed-and-breakfast in Avalon Buff. Her wife, Keegan, is fighting in the gods’ war on behalf of Enva.
Richard Stone - wealthy creator of the 3 Alouette typewriters.
Lieutenant Gregory Shane - one of Dacre’s officers. Betrays Roman and Dacre and seems to be part of the mysterious Grave Yard.
bOOK cHAT: Ruthless Vows
QNA WITH REBECCA ROSS FOR LETTERS OF ENCHANTMENT DUOLOGY
Review
Are Dacre and Enva strong mythological beings in the story?
In Divine Rivals there is the foundation of the world-building for the mythological story of Dacre and Enva. It was always in the background and never interwoven between Iris and Roman. The romance was the focus between them, which is why the first book is so strong. In Ruthless Vows, the focus shifts to Dacre and Enva, and it’s nearly not as interesting as the love story that was developed in the first book. It seemed that the lore and the relationship between Dacre and Enva remained surface level and it would have been nice to know more about their past.
The divide between the regions due to civilians choosing sides between Dacre and Enva did cause chaos for a textbook grand finale, but it all felt anticlimactic. For some reason, I did not emotionally connect with the lore, which made me uninterested in their final moments. Even Roman being under the wing of Dacre left me questioning why Ross kept Iris and Roman apart in the second installment. It seemed that Ross had to incorporate the magical typewriters uniquely in the second book so she swapped positions purposely.
Do the typewriters work effectively in Ruthless Vows?
I am not a fan of an “amnesia” trope in romances, and that’s particularly why I didn’t find the magical typewriters effective in Ruthless Vows. When we had the “enemies-to-lovers” anonymity between Roman and Iris in Divine Rivals it was intriguing and fun to read because Iris was falling for Roman without knowing. They were vulnerable with one another and they shared emotional moments through their words. Their letters to each other were special because they formed their love through their shared grief.
With Roman under Dacre’s wing and suffering a loss of memory, whenever he would write to Iris, it felt frustrating because it felt repetitive. Iris had to jog Roman’s memory as best she could and quickly before she lost Roman to Dacre forever. It took away from their romance and everything they built in the first novel. Sadly, the magic of the typewriters did not work for me in the second novel as it did in the first. I was entranced by the power of the words between Roman and Iris in Divine Rivals and it was difficult for me to connect with them in Ruthless Vows.
Is Ruthless Vows better than Divine Rivals?
After reading Ruthless Vows, it is clear to me that Divine Rivals is my favourite of the two. The way Ross built the “enemies-to-lovers” between Roman and Iris was perfect. The romance was heavier in Divine Rivals and the fantasy took over in Ruthless Vows. There was more balance in Divine Rivals than in Ruthless Vows, which was my main issue for the sequel. It also felt like Iris didn’t have any time with Forest. They didn’t feel like siblings falling back into step with one another, and it would have been nice for them to be together more than they were. Even the secondary characters weren’t developed, apart from finding a significant other or being used as a plot convenience for Iris. I enjoyed Divine Rivals so much, but sadly, I couldn’t connect with Ruthless Vows.
What did you think about Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross? Let us know in the comments below, or join our discord today!
Become a member today to read more books and get access to behind-the-scenes content of ‘Maude’s Book Club.’
