A fun time!!! I loved the characters and their journeys, they felt very realistic and relatable. The DnD bits did feel a tad long, not leaving enough time for the “real world” experiences to feel fully developed. However, great concept and great writing - I can’t wait to see what else this author brings to the romance genre!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC!

Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods was a fun read. It was part fantasy and part romance and was perfect for any fan of both genres. I really enjoyed that the story was part real life and part game life. I also loved the aspect of learning about the characters and the characters they play. I thought the characters and were well-written. I especially liked the interaction between Sadie and Noah both in the game and in real life. This seemed like a story within a story, which added to the complexity of the book. I would recommend this book to fans of role playing games and romance alike.

I loved this book! I enjoyed how the D&D campaign was woven into the story and allowed the characters to live out their thoughts through the game. It was very cathartic to see it play out. The Romance aspect of this was perfect I loved seeing how these two complete strangers became friends and then partners in game and in their lives.

This was a sweet romance with a clever story-within-a story that fantasy (especially Dungeons and Dragons) fans will love. After suffering serious burnout at her job in NYC Sadie goes to spend the summer with her best friend Liam in a small town in Texas. Here she meets new friends through Liam's weekly DND game for newbies, which she's agreed to join. One of them is Noah, who seems like Sadie's opposite. He goes through life with no fixed plan, just seeing where life takes him. She practically gets hives at just the thought of living like that. But the more time they spend together, the more they connect, and the more she finds she enjoys the small town life, remembering how she enjoyed things like art that she never had time for in NYC.

"Roll for Romance" is a clever look at how we make our own choices, our own luck, and the different personas we each wear in life. Who do we chose to be and when should we look at if those choices no longer fit with who we are and it's time to make new choices? Easy choices or brave choices? The pacing dragged some for me in spots as Sadie puts off facing her problems, communicating with anyone, and going over the same things longer than the book needed her to (however accurate it would be to real life) and generally waffled about, but finally picked up at the end.

A good read with a clever twist that Dungeons and Dragons fans or fantasy fans in general will like to set it a bit apart.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Roll for Romance was an ambitious debut romance novel for Lenora Woods. In addition to the contemporary romance story, the Dungeons & Dragons campaign is told as fantasy story interspersed within the book. Unfortunately, the fantasy story aspect didn't work as well for me as the contemporary romance plot.

ROLL FOR ROMANCE was a nice contemporary romance. Sadie Brooks has left her high-paced marketing job in New York City and is spending the summer with her best friend Liam in rural Texas. They have been best friends since childhood and had shared the same New York City dreams. But when he had a chance to move to Texas to settle his grandfather's estate, he decided that he preferred the small-town lifestyle. He's a gay math teacher and dedicated gamer.

Liam convinces Sadie to join him in a Dungeons & Dragons session with a group of those new to the game while she summers in Texas. There she meets some of his friends and develops a new character as Jaylie who is a cleric with some magic and a sense of adventure. She is joined in the game by a barbarian with a big axe, a knife-wielding rogue, and a bard.

The bard is Noah Walker who is also new in town. He's helping his college best friend set up a brewery which is also a restaurant and bar. Both in real life and in the game, Sadie and Noah begin a romance. But it looks like it can only be a short-term romance because Sadie thinks she's going to tackle New York City again in the fall and Noah never stays anywhere for long.

The story is told in parts. Both real life and the D & D world that is being created get equal play in this story. In the real world, Sadie finds herself dusting off her background as an artist and creating and painting a mural at Noah's new business...and having second thoughts about her career plans.

Fans of romance and gaming will enjoy this story.

4.3 stars!!
Thank you to Lenora Woods, Netgalley, and Random House Publishing for this ARC!!!
This was a fun read!! I love D&D so much
What made this fun as well was actually getting to experience the campaign alongside the in game characters, and seeing them struggle but also sometimes have some parallels with the real characters
I enjoyed the romance between Sadie and Noah, I feel it was a little rushed but it was cute
I mostly enjoyed the fanfic and romance between Loren and Jaylie, the two in game D&D characters
They were interesting and fun, and I really vibed with the story and direction the campaign was going in
This was a very fun read!! All the characters were pretty interesting and dimensional as well!! They all were pretty different too which is good :3

This was such a fun combination of real life, and an immersion into a fantasy (D&D) world!

I’m not a D&D player, but I do love tabletop games, and I feel like this is the perfect book for anyone who enjoys hearing about games, nerdy people falling in love, or new people learning to dive into a fantasy world!

Beyond just the game, there’s also a heavy element of finding yourself, and figuring out what brings you joy - behind just the major you chose when you were in your early college years.

A romance, a love story to games, and a strong plot of character development all wrapped up into one - definitely pick this up!

I do not play D&D, but still enjoyed this book. I love the mix of fantasy and romance you get in these types of books, but if you like D&D, I feel like you'd appreciate it even more than me!

The goods:
- On top of the romance and fantasy, I loved Sadie's personal journey with her job throughout the book. I feel like this book is a great combination of fantasy, literary fiction, and romance.
- Some D&D romance books don't fully explain the entire campaign, but I really felt like this campaign was fully explained and we saw every part of it.
- I loved how different Sadie and Noah were. I haven't read and opposites attract type book in my opinion in a while and I enjoyed their dynamic.
- The rest of the D&D group were great side characters that I'd love to see explored more in the future. I would definitely read another book in this universe!

The loss of a star:
- I wish there was a bit more shown of the conclusion romance. I feel like we only saw the very early part of the relationship where I wanted to see a bit more development.

Overall, if you're looking for a romance book that also has a fantasy sub plot, this is a great next read. Also, if you like D&D, you'd probably enjoy it.

3.5 ⭐

Thank you Ballantine / Dell Publishing for this advanced copy to review! all thoughts are my own

After losing her job in NYC, Sadie is convinced by her best friend, Liam, to spend the summer with him in Texas so she can have a little distraction while she figures out what she will do next. The distraction? Sadie joins Liam's Dungeons & Dragons game that he is starting. That's where she meets Noah Walker.

This story was very cute and nerdy! The friendships Sadie has and makes with the other members of the D&D group was so perfect! Very found family vibes. My only "complaint" is I really wish we had had Noah's pov throughout the book. Since there was a lot of focus on the other friendships sadie was building, it felt like Noah & sadies relationship wasn't the focal point of the story. Overall it was still a good story.

If you are looking for a light hearted, nerdy, and cute romance, you should pick up this book! :)

Releases July 15th!

Thank you to Megan from Random House for letting me read this book early! I really appreciate it!

Roll for Romance was a book that had definitely caught my eye, so when the publisher offered me a review copy, I eagerly accepted and downloaded it.

Set against the backdrop of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, Sadie and Noah get to know each other both through the game and in real life as well.

The book was very well written and flowed well. I enjoyed both the segments in real life as well as the elements of the D/D campaign (which are presented in the book as basically a fantasy story).

I also liked how Sadie and Noah had a lot in common with each other but also viewed certain things very differently. I liked seeing them interact with each other. Noah was always respectful (and occasionally funny) and also very encouraging of Sadie’s art and creativity which was so nice to see.

The fantasy world of the D/D game was really cool! I liked the world and the creatures. This author could easily genre hop and write a pure fantasy next. It was easy to follow and get lost in but also not infodumpy or confusing as some fantasies can be.

Overall I really enjoyed this one. This is a debut author and I was impressed. Definitely recommend!

Roll for Romance is a creative romance where D&D players fall in love. With with enjoyable characters and a delightful gaming storyline, Lenora Woods’s debut is a cute summer escape.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sadie left her NYC marketing job, burned out and unsure what to do next, when her BFF Liam invites her to come stay with him in small town Heller, Texas. He also convinces her to join the new D&D group he’s DMing as a way to get out of her own head. The group includes Noah, who recently moved to town to help out at his buddy’s local craft brewery. The pair get closer in and out of the game. But when Sadie gets the chance to return to New York, she has to decide if she truly wants to leave.

I really liked the way this book is structured. Part of it is written as game interludes, a fantasy story within a contemporary romance. In fact, at times I was more invested in the gaming quest than the “regular” plot, leading to the real life story dragging in parts. I am not a D&D player, though, so I can’t speak to the accuracy of the game play moments.

Sadie and Noah are both in the 20s and still figuring out what they want their lives to look like. This book is told in Sadie’s first person POV, so it’s easier for the reader to see what her motivations are. Noah checks a lot of book boyfriend boxes, but he doesn’t feel as three dimensional. That said, these are perfectly nice characters to spend a summer day with.

Roll for Romance is a cute romance featuring a D&D backdrop. It was fun to watch these role playing gamers find themselves and their HEA while committing to their fictional quest.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a cute romance. It was also nostalgic for me, with childhood experience playing D&D. The game play is really woven throughout the book and quite fun. And the real “human” plot was sweet and honest.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

Sadie and Noah are so sweet together. This is definitely a more predictable romance as it is quite obvious to the reader that they will romance each other. And there is some heat to this book. I honestly wasn’t expecting anything hot with the slower intro section, but it heated up a few times in the end of the book.

I liked Sadie’s progression from dealing with a painful realization to the decisions she has to make later on in the summer. Some books leave me unmoored in time as characters move through their arcs, but this one kept everything clear and straightforward. And Noah was an interesting male lead. Not my favorite perspective on life, but adventurous and with some depth.

I’ll be honest, I liked the story of their D&D game more than the real life story. It was a fun one with cliffhangers and tension. The characters that the characters created (ha!) were funny and fun to read. I would read a book of some of their campaigns.

Overall, an adorable romance with lots of D&D. Fun for nerds and romance enthusiasts alike.

This is a cozy and fun, Dungeons & Dragons themed romcom.

FMC Sadie is staying with her friend Liam, who convinces her to hang out in Texas and join his D&D group while she figures out her next steps after being laid off from a fancy marketing job in New York City. She takes to the game right away, especially to MMC Noah, the hunky bartender/bard with golden retriever energy.

This is a lighthearted romance where the D&D role-playing is woven into the story in a playful, imaginative way. The characters are fun and relatable, you’ll want to pull up a chair and roll dice with them. Fantasy, art, creativity, and adventure all come together in a cozy, feel-good read.

Whether you’re a seasoned D&D player or unfamiliar to the game but love the concept, this book is an easy recommendation. It might even be perfect for someone thinking about joining a campaign or trying to convince their spouse to play.

Spice:4/5
Plot:4.5/5
Writing:4.5/5
My Enjoyment:5/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group–Ballantine for providing me with an ARC of this exciting read!

Roll for Romance is a sweet, nerdy gem of a love story that rolled a natural 20—a perfect hit on my heart!

I absolutely loved this book. It’s a perfect blend of real-life romance and tabletop fantasy—ideal for anyone who enjoys a good love story with a geeky twist. When Sadie, a struggling marketing executive, escapes to a small town in Texas and joins a local D&D campaign, the last thing she expects is to fall for Noah—the charming bartender who becomes the group’s bard. What follows is a wholesome, slow-burn romance that unfolds both in-game and in real life, beautifully mirroring the adventure their characters embark on together.

One of the highlights for me was the dual perspective, shifting between the characters’ day-to-day lives and their in-game personas. It added a unique depth and richness to the story—like getting two romances in one, both equally heartfelt.

The writing is warm, inviting, and easy to get lost in. Even if you’ve never played Dungeons & Dragons, you won’t feel out of place. But if you have, there are plenty of clever nods and references that’ll keep you smiling from start to finish.

If you’re looking for a cozy, feel-good romance with a dash of fantasy and a whole lot of heart, Roll for Romance is one you won’t want to miss.

This was so much fun! I love the way the real world story blended with the D&D campaign. The relationships were believable and the D&D aspects were not too technical for someone unfamiliar with the game. This was a fresh take on a genre that's getting kind of stale and I am here for it!

A cozy, nerdy romance that blends real-life chemistry with in-game fantasy. Sadie, a burnt-out marketing exec, joins a small-town D&D campaign and finds herself drawn to Noah, a charming elf bard. The novel alternates between their real-world interactions and their characters' adventures, creating a dual-layered love story.

Unfortunately dnf’ed at 20%, was super cute and fun but pacing was a little too slow and just felt like plot wasn’t getting anywhere.

This was so fun! I loved the interwoven plots of Sadie and Noah’s real-life romance with the fantasy relationship and adventure of their Dungeons & Dragons characters.

I highly recommend this for romance readers who also enjoy tabletop gaming, nerd culture, and/or a fantasy plot mixed in with their romance.

What to expect:
💜 Small town, slow burn romance
🤍 Swoony meets nerdy vibes
💜 Charming Bard-tender
🤍 Talented Artist/Cleric looking for something new
💜 Dungeons & Dragons adventure plot
🤍 Found family both in-game and at the table

This was such a fun book. I've read quite a few D&D themed books, and they've all been wonderful, but this one takes the cake. I loved the split story between the real lives of the characters and their D&D storyline. It was so engaging and full of mystery and intrigue, and I appreciated the plot of Sadie and her burnout. I feel it's not talked about a lot and I love that she was able to explore her life and what she wanted to do whilst also allowing herself to relax and have fun with D&D with her new friends.