Roll for Romance is a mix of a feel good romcom and a fantasy adventure all in one! I love how many books are coming out with DnD plots and this really took the cake for me. I loved each character and was so invested in the actual fantasy game plot line as well, such a great mix of tension and comedic relief! All the characters were so endearing, both the real ones and the fantasy ones.

I made it through 25% before I had to DNF.

Although I wanted to get into this, I was not vibing with how the fantasy parts were written. I was expecting it to be more DND technical, but it wasn't. And I also could not really understand the main character's motivations, and things just felt off in the writing. DNF'd at 25%

Have you ever read a book and found yourself thinking—I wonder what it’d be like to actually play Dungeons & Dragons? The answer is probably no, and I felt the exact same way… until I read Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods.

Sometimes, you just need a nerdy, cute love story to take a break from everything happening in the world, and this book was exactly that—a fun, refreshing, and heartwarming read. Woods masterfully blends romance with the immersive world of D&D, creating a story that plays out both in real life and in the game. I found myself fully invested in both storylines, watching Sadie and Noah’s chemistry grow not only through their real-life interactions but also through their in-game personas, Jaylie and Loren.

The dual-layered storytelling was a delight, especially for someone new to D&D themes in fiction. If you’re a fan of cozy fantasy and looking to dip your toes into romance, this book is a fantastic gateway. The writing was engaging, the characters charming, and the overall experience left me wanting more. Will this be a series? If so, count me in!

Final Thoughts: Roll for Romance is a perfect blend of geeky fun, heartfelt romance, and self-discovery. Whether you're a longtime D&D fan or a total newbie, this book is a critical hit!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the advanced copy.

4 stars!

This was an incredibly unique story! I can honestly say I've never read anything like it. The way Woods' seamlessly creates two worlds within this romance was so cool to read.
The story follows our FMC, Sadie, who was recently fired from her big-time New York job and is now taking a break in a small town in Texas. She is staying with her best friend, Liam, who's only stipulation was that she has to play DND with him. He gets together a small group of people and they create a storyline that is told simultaneously along with the real-life parts of the book. I have never seen a story told like that!! It was so interesting. I loved the group, they felt very warm and real. It definitely had a found family aspect.
Noah, our MMC, is one of the other players in their DND group. He is a free spirit, unbound by the things that worry Sadie. Throughout the story she navigates burnout, and he helps her come back to who she used to be. She rediscovers her love for art, doing a mural for a brewery owned by Noah's best friend. (The brewery was also very unique and cute!)
The romance was very sweet and I loved how they found themselves within each other. They both finally found somewhere worth staying. I also quite liked how this was a very realistic romance. There was nothing dramatic or fantastical in this, it was a real romance that could happen to anyone.

Unfortunately, the first 60% of this book was very slow for me. I found the pacing quite odd. I didn't feel as connected to some of the characters as I would have liked to, even though on paper they're characters I love. I saw their potential but wasn't impacted emotionally. I almost liked their fantasy characters more than I liked the actual people.
That being said if this author decides to continue this story with one of the other characters, I would definitely read it! Especially given the cliffhanger in their DND world.

I was provided a free digital e-arc of this in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

#RollForRomance #NetGalley

quest (noun):
a: a jury of inquest
b: investigation
2: an act or instance of seeking:
a: pursuit, search
b: a chivalrous enterprise in medieval romance usually involving an adventurous journey

This is the word that came to mind when I read this book.
When embodying their (Noah and Sadie) D&D roles, it's a 'chivalrous enterprise'. Alongside their merry band of cohorts it's both a rescue mission and a vanquishing. In their personal lives, it's a personal self investigation where they are in their lives, in their career paths.

Cover art chosen perfectly captures the characters physical traits and like the dice scattered throughout. Very D&Desque.

The author alternates between the stories with some unexpected events along the way. When an author manages to surprise a reader, that gives you a bonus points. In this case, elevating a two and 1/2 start to a solid three star read.

This ARC was provided by the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.75 on StoryGraph

I loved this book!

I’ve read a few D&D inspired romances recently, but this one was truly unique and special. There are two stories here, our main romance with Sadie and Noah, and the world of the D&D campaign that our cast is running. I’ve never read a book where the campaign and characters are just as fleshed out as the main storyline. It was such a refreshing take!

The story itself was also fantastic. As someone who lost their job recently, Sadie’s journey hit home for me. Her hopelessness and journey back to health is one I’m familiar with.

Finally, our romance. I loved Sadie and Noah. The romance was so sweet and the tension and build up was so authentic and well done! I loved how they both grew together and felt they changed together without compromising who they are.

So cute, loved this book, if you’re a fan of romance and D&D, pick this up!

when you know, you know.

personally I am not into this D&D roll playing thing being so immersive. instead of the characters roll playing as their D&D characters, we get these separate chapters as if the reader gets dropped into a fantasy novel. for many, this format and style may excite but for me it drew me too far out of reality for what I was looking for.

thank you to Dell and Random House Publishing Group for the arc in exchange for an honest review

platform: netgalley ebook arc

I was so fucking excited for this because I read a YA D&D romance in December and loved it so much and wanted an adult version of it...

I did not get that...

What I did get, however, is an adult aged child who is stuck in her life and her career, who wants some man she has known for WEEKS (!!) to change his entire life style for her and stay in a town that she is not even sure she wants to stay in. The romance was left to be desired, the sexual connection was something and the most interesting thing about this was the D&D storyline. The storyline in which their characters were falling in love and had actual chemistry compared to them. What is even more wild is that they compared each other to their D&D characters multiple times (even at the end where she was imagining Loren (his character) telling her sweet things about staying and she had to physically force herself to see Noah.

Also there was a time about halfway through the book where she had a breakthrough about why she left her job and what it would mean for her to go back to a similar job in the same place and then she goes "but Noah doesn't know if he's staying" AND??? Why does that matter? Where is your happiness outside of a man you've known for five weeks?

That timeline is not an exaggeration- it is July in Texas (but no j4th of July celebration so that's interesting) and she spent the first few weeks moping in bed and then she said she could start the job on August 15 if she accepted, so these people truly do not know each other.

Overall it was fine, not what I expected, but I am grateful for the ARC- 2.5 stars rounded up

I couldn't wait to start this book, it was so adorably charming. I liked the banter between Sadie and Noah both in the game and in real life. This was a little slow for me in the slow burn of romance but also the slow burn of the D&D game but I understood the overall picture. I did like this book, I just wish we had more of a faster paced adventure in the D&D game to offset the real life slow burn of romance, I think the switching of pace between the two would have been a lot better. I liked that we described the D&D game as if we were in the world instead of always showing "now roll to.." because it shows how people who actually play D&D can get so involved and immersed in the experience. I love it!

This book was so cute!! I loved all of the dnd themes and it was so fun! The characters are so cute together

I automatically adore a romance centered on DND this was just perfection! I'm looking forward to more! I never wanted this story to end

As a fellow DnD player I can honestly say I love this book and the way Woods weaved DnD into the story. We get to experience two romantic storylines, one via real life and one via the campaign, and both are so sweet (and please tell me I wasn't imagining a few nods to BG3 in there, or maybe that was just coincidence). I loved seeing Liam as the DM too, since it brought back little moments of recognition for things our own DM would do in our campaigns. Seeing our MCs dig deep into their own selves to ultimately arrive at who they want to be and what they are willing to do to make that their reality is such a nice juxtaposition against DnD and was a great use of storytelling

I have officially turned to a new trope: D&D Lovers to Real Lovers. This book was so adorable and incredibly relatable. I felt like the FMC, Sadie, was written with me in mind when talking about her struggles of where she fits in and what success really means. On top of that, I loved the writing that brings you back and forth effortlessly through the real world and the D&D campaign world.

The main characters, Sadie and Noah, were incredibly likeable with Noah reminding me of an old soul who was wise beyond his years. Woods did a great job of having you care for not just the FMC and MMC, but every character. I would love to see spin-offs that bring the supporting characters front and center in their own book.

If you love books with real world romance and books all about another realm, you will love this read. It’ll likely have you wanting to start your own D&D campaign too.

I did receive a copy of the ARC for this review.
I think this was a really cute read! I really liked how the author did almost a side to side fantasy with the contemporary romance and it isn't something that I have ever read like that so it was interesting.
I didn't rate it higher because it was cute but nothing super jumped out at me. I would recommend it to some friends but it did take some effort for me to sit through the book and read it, so I wasn't sitting at the edge of my seat to finish it but it was worth reading and I would definitely check out something else from this author!

I felt like this book was not for me, I did get confused when it was going between the fantasy world and reality, however, i do think this book would be for someone else and they’d love it, I totally see the merit in the romance, just not for me.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC of Roll for Romance in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Rating: ★ 4.75 stars
Pub Date: Jul 15 2025

“If the girls were being honest with me and there really is something there… Maybe I should roll for iniative.”

As a casual Dungeons & Dragons player and a sappy romance diehard, this book was everything I wanted it to be and more. The D&D gameplay is lore and mechanic accurate, the stakes are low but just high enough for me to care about Sadie’s dilemmas, and the chemistry between the couple was blazing hot. Some romance books seem to force the two together, but Roll for Romance’s chemistry was perfectly set in motion with Noah fidgeting with Sadie’s ring under the table. Like, sparks flew and then there was a fire of sweet quotes and soft moments.

I loved how we got the story within the story of their D&D campaign, and how it wasn’t just mimicking the events of the story. We see Sadie and Noah’s characters grow close as they do. I was honestly afraid there’d be some awkward in-game moments due to some outside conflict, but both stayed just seperate enough to make it feel believable and tell two satisfying love stories.

“I’m disgustingly sentimental and bubbling with optimism, and it’s all his fault.”

Noah and Sadie brought out the best in each other, and I think that’s what made it such a satisfying romance story. We can actually see them changing after having met each other, and it was refreshing after some romances where the character’s lives and romance kinda stay separate from each other.

I highly highly recommend this, even if you haven’t played D&D. Woods does such a good job introducing the gameplay, and since we get the campaign story directly, it eliminates several layers of potentially confusing mechanics and rulebook dilemmas.

Overall, this book is full of adorable details, two entertaining stories, and fun D&D goodies at the end of the book. Woods, you’re welcome at my table anyday, and you’d always roll with advantage.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC!

I am a huge DnD fan, so naturally when I came across this I was super excited.

This was overall a cozy and delightful novel. The romance was sweet, I loved both Noah and Sadie. It was a slow burn, but you could feel the attraction radiate through the whole book. They had so much chemistry (I could have used more spice, personally).

This was well written and I really quite enjoyed the atmosphere that Lenora Woods created.

I did find the campaign within the book far too lengthy and I lost interest at times. I think someone who hasn't played or is even new to the game would be a little confused. Not a huge deal, but I felt it worth noting.

Ultimately though, I did enjoy this and would be happy to recommend it!

THIS WAS PHENOMENAL! The story of a woman who has to restart her life due to losing her job. She picks up and moves to Texas for a bit to spend time with one of her childhood BFFs. Meanwhile he gets her addicted to the DND game which brings in a cute change in life.

I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN! It was really cool because the author has the main story and then lets you read and watch the DND game they are playing. Also she gives a great summary of how to play DND so that even if the reader is not familiar with the game, they have a nice idea of how it's played. The dialogue between ALL the characters was really great and as the story goes on it becomes more and more relatable. The author did an AMAZING job on having both adults act and communicate like adults instead of dragging on the story and bringing in unnecessary drama/theatrics. It was great that the author also had everyone in this story problem solve instead of throwing tantrums or shutting down. Great story and subliminal message overall.

Spice 2/5 - Vague language, but you're aware of what's going on.

Cover 5/5 -love that you have the characters and intertwined the theme.

Great job Lenora!

I was gifted this arc in return for an honest review by the publisher.

I don't know why it took so long for someone to blend together D&D and Romance. But I have to say, I am SO glad Lenora Woods was that someone. Roll for Romance was so entertaining, I literally could not put it down. I love how you get not 1 but 2 stories within this book. You get the rom-com (and boy is it a good one) AND you get the D&D campaign!
Want to know what its like to play D&D? You will get a taste for how amazing it is to immerse yourself in a story that someone creates, a little bit of choose your own adventure with some carefully planned hiccups from the DM (Dungeon Master)
And Sadie, this girl has been all of us. What I love is that this book talks about burnout culture, brings it to light and makes it OK to say that you aren't OK. AND that you don't need to have it all figured out.
and Noah?!?! *fan* He was the sweetest easy going MMC that WRITES HIS D&D CHARACTER COMBING SADIE'S CHARACTER'S HAIR BECAUSE SADIE CAN'T SLEEP!!! You'll have to read it for that exclamation to make sense.

But basically thank you Dell for sending me this ARC.

I loved this. I loved the introduction to gaming and the romance was so damn sweet. So amazing,. I wil check out more from this author