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. 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!

Oh my gosh these characters are great! Within their campaign and out!

I love the flirty, gentle giant that is Noah. He is kind and full of adventures and so understanding of Sadie's lack of direction in life. The communication was perfection on his end. We love to see it.

I related to Sadie as someone who had a plan in life and eventually ditched it without a full plan. This book was also a little bit of me as someone who loves games, breweries, and flirty people😄

I enjoyed the D&D campaign story within the story, but it did feel like a bit much at times. The pacing was a little off and I wanted a bit more time with the real characters.

Unfortunately, this one didn't hold up for me. It's a super cute concept, but the follow-through wasn't there. The parts where they were "in" the game were the best, no doubt. The writing was perfect. Outside of the game, eh. The contemporary aspects of this book weren't as hard-hitting as they needed to be. This will definitely be someone else's cup of tea; it just wasn't mine.

Roll For Romance by Lenora Woods
Release Date: July 15th

Sadie is burnt out after losing her fancy NYC job, so she's taking the summer to clear her head with her BFF Liam in small town Texas. Liam convinces her to join in his Dungeons & Dragons campaign with a few of his friends, where she meets Noah. Noah, much like his D&D character Loren, is an easygoing, adventurous nomad, never staying in one place for too long. But he shows Sadie how to let go and revel in the freedom of the unknown, and through this fun little nerdy game and her new friendships, Sadie finds herself and her happiness.

This book delivers two romance stories in one! We cycle between a contemporary romance in Sadie's real life and a fantasy romance for her character within the Dungeons & Dragons campaign. I really enjoyed both storylines and found myself invested in both of their worlds!

As the D&D campaign and summer come to a close, Sadie is offered her dream job in NYC and Noah is considering moving on to his next adventure. Will she take the job she thinks she should want in favor of nurturing her art and happiness in Texas? Or will she take a leap of faith and hope Noah will too?

Roll For Romance was fun and nerdy adventure with a side of whimsy. I'd say it's a cozy and wholesome romance story, overall.

4.5⭐ 1🌶️

I read an advanced copy of this book, and this is my honest review. Thank you to author Lenora Woods, NetGalley, and the publishers, Dell/Random House/Ballantine for the ARC!

A creative story about two people who are new to their small Texas town and happen to end up around the same D&D table. What starts off as a new game becomes a thickly woven adventure story that catapults a group of very different people into unlikely friends as the seeds of an unexpected romance begin to grow. I enjoyed watching Sadie discover her path after she takes a break from NYC to join her bf in Texas for the summer. D&D is the start of taking chances, trying new things and branching out into new friendships that begin to add more fulfillment and creative inspiration to her life than ever before.

This story is a single POV (Sadie) and follows two storylines (primary- Sadie and Noah’s journey to romance, secondary - Sadie’s D&D character Jaylie and the intricate storyline of their D&D campaign). It was creative and entertaining, though for a while I wasn’t sure what to expect from this romance since both parties are only visiting for a limited duration. However all ended happily and well with a sweet HEA. It did feel like the D&D chapters got a bit lengthy at times, although I appreciate the creativity and intricacy of the complex and gripping storylines the author came up with.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

This book was so freaking cute. When I started reading I would have never thought that I would be reading two books in one! A cute little rom com AND a fantasy! You follow Sadie who just hit a rough patch in life and her D&D character Jaylie. With that being said there was a lot in this story in a short amount of time. I think the D&D portion of the book was AMAZING but I felt Sadie’s story lacked a little. I just wanted more about her career change and love life with Noah, instead of just statements of what happened. I did really enjoy this book and would recommend to anyone who likes fantasy with a little rom com on the side! You don’t have to play D&D to love this read! (3.5⭐️)

As someone that only recently got into D&D (courtesy of a partner that DMs) I was excited and curious about this read! I am a SUCKER for a good love story and Sadie and Noah delivered!! I found the switching between real life and the role-play sessions harder to get into, like a story within a story. The ending could not have been better or sweeter 🥹 I need an Alchemist-like bar near me ASAP.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶

Roll for Romance is a charming, slowburn romance that prioritizes the main characters finding themselves. An introduction of a new hobby(DnD), new friends, and getting out of your daily rut to explore.

Lenora Woods did a phenomenal job in showcasing how DnD can help you work through difficult decisions in your real life while still offering an escape. I loved how she incorporated the campaign by making it a parallel story in the book (dnd days were written from the perspective of the campaign characters). Other dnd themed books I've read have shared the campaigns from a table perspective so it was really neat to be immersed in the campaign as much as you were the romance novel.

If you like Kristy Boyce's YA romances but want something a bit more relatable to an adult, highly recommend putting Roll for Romance on your tbr.

✨ "Roll for Romance" by Lenora Woods ✨

Okay, listen — this book is just the cutesttt 💕
Roll for Romance was exactly what I needed: sweet romance, dreamy D&D vibes (for all us lovable nerds 🧝‍♀️🎲), and a cozy feel-good story.

It follows Sadie, a NYC girl who loses her job, moves to a small Texas town, and suddenly finds herself in a D&D group. There she meets Noah — the hot bartender who totally clicks with her, in the game and in real life 😍🔥

💗 Their chemistry? Adorable and real
🎭 The mix of in-game characters and real-life personalities? Brilliant
📖 The story flows, the dialogue is witty, and I caught myself smiling like a dork

It’s a bit slow at first, but once you’re in — you’re hooked!

Bottom line: If you’re into cute, nerdy, heartwarming romance with just the right amount of magic ✨ — go read it now. Seriously.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

First I want to thank random publishing house and NetGalley for allowing me to read this arc. I loved this book. I’m a gamer girl and it brought out my nerdy self… with that being said I enjoyed that she came from a corporate world and moved to Texas to be with her friend where she runs into Noah a fellow gamer. Their characters in the game fall for each other and so do they I loved this so much

Such a cute, fun book! I loved the character growth from all parties, and I loved watching the dual POV between the real world and the D&D story. It was an immersive read that made D&D accessible for those new to it, and nostalgic with easter eggs for the dice rolling pros. Would absolutely recommend this book to others.

This took my right back to my "nerdy" high school days - but in the cutest of ways! FMC Sadie lost her job in New York and spends the summer with her best friend in Texas. She gets sucked into his latest Dungeons and Dragons quest. Jaylie, her character, is quite different than real-life Sadie, and in the game, she gets to play with Loren - a bard played by real-life Noah.

Noah was absolutely precious, I loved the side characters, the bar, and the adventures. Ummm.... the camping trip! Whew! The spice was perfection.

The switching between two worlds was fun - and very engaging, but sometimes the switch was so abrupt. I got the hang of it pretty quickly, but it was jarring at first. I am an avid audiobook listener, and I could not help but to think about how they would transition in that format.

Overall, very fun and a perfect summer read! Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for the chance to give this book an honest review!

I enjoyed this book, but I am not a D&D fan. If you like D & D then you will really like it.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

A fun book that weaves together romance and Dungeons and Dragons!
I really enjoyed this book! I really liked the characters and the romance that developed over the course of the story. This book did a great job of weaving together the storyline with the D&D campaign the characters were playing. I especially liked how the D&D scenes were written out like a story - it just fully immersed me into their campaign too. I did have a few issues with the pacing of the story and parts of it felt really rushed, but overall the story itself is great. If you like romance, D&D, and just general nerdy things, definitely give this one a shot!

This review has be posted on Goodreads.

What a cozy, magical adventure this story was! It was unique in how the author created two worlds within the book. I love how she leads you on an adventure with the D&D characters of the main mcs and fellow side characters. I loved the brewery Alchemist's second setting and all the fan art and roleplaying aspect. I can not wait to read more about the group's next adventure!

-small town romance
-found family
-D&D roleplaying
-red head cinnamon roll mmc
-light spice

Sadie, our FMC, was just let go from her job in New York and leaves to stay with her best friend Liam in a small town in Texas. Liam has her join a small new beginner's D&D group he is hosting. I just love this little found family of friends group. Throughout the story, Sadie is facing the challenge of her past career and where she wants to go from there.

Noah, our MMC, is a bartender at his college roommate's brewery and gets invited by Liam to join the D&D group. He is a free spirit who is all about adventure and travelling. He helps out Saide with the burnout of her past job and reconnecting with her love of drawing.

I loved their sweet romance and how they found themselves together and a place they both wanted to stay in.

Thanks to Netgalley, Lenora Woods, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine.

Thank you to Random House - Ballentine | Dell and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I’m honestly not sure where to begin on how much I loved this book. I could tell from the first chapter that the writing was going to be fantastic. I was immediately pulled in and interested in the story. I wanted to learn more about Sadie and how she ended up in Texas.

One of my favorite things about this story is the way the D&D campaign is interwoven in with the “IRL” story. Lenora captures the (literal and figurative) magic of playing D&D SO well. Seeing the way the players developed their relationships at the table, combined with their characters developing relationships in-story was a blast. Not to mention, I LOVED the campaign story! It was just as fun and compelling as the story outside the campaign!

I could not get enough of Noah. He is a living, breathing green flag of a golden retriever MMC. The way he was so content being himself was attractive enough in itself, but seeing how he allowed Sadie to relax into herself was also beautiful. He believed in her before she did and he let her realize how valuable she is on her own time in her own way. Also - we love a Consent King!

This was a slow burn, which was DELICIOUS. The maybes and almosts and interruptions had me kicking my feet. When the fire finally does catch, it is HOT. I’ve never wanted to hear a man say “please” more in my life.

Sadie’s character development was fantastic. Her journey of self-discovery and self-love was so relatable. I was happy that she got an HEA after she realized that she was happy on her own. It made it all the more sweet.

I will be screaming about this book until the end of time.

I absolutely adore this new trend of Dungeons & Dragon's and romance books! This is the first book as such that I have read that integrates the campaign into the plot where you are reading it as if you are in the campaign. I was not expecting it and absolutely loved having a story within a story and seeing the romance and friendship develop for Noah and Sadie in both worlds. The campaign brought a fantasy adventure element to the plot that offsets Sadie struggling with recently losing her job nicely.

While I wish we had more character development on the others in the campaign, I have my fingers crossed that this means more books in this universe in the future. Between the found family elements, friendship that radiates off the pages, and banter this is the PERFECT summer read. This was a nat 20 for me ;)

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy for a free review!

Over all I rated this Book 4.5/5. I loved the unique setting of it being told with 2 different elements. It is a setting type that i have never read before and I absolutely need more of this. I appreciate the low level of spice that was in this book. As someone who does not like spice to be the main plot in romance books I liked this book a lot.

Romance books have become pretty predictable with the main point being spice, characters getting together and immediately hooking up, and a third act breakup/conflict at the end. This was very much not like that. This book was a wonderful romcom set in a believable setting dealing with real life struggles. It made the characters seem so real to me and it made me connect with them that much more. The diversity of characters kept me engaged and the addition of LGBTQ rep was amazingly done.

Bravo!! For a debut novel it is everything that I wanted in a romance. Between the cute loveable MMC and the worried but strong FMC I was hooked from the very first page. One of my favorite reads so far this year and can not wait for another book from this author.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group/Dell, and Netgalley for the gifted eARC! I always appreciate the opportunity to read and review early.

Roll for Romance intrigued me immediately as a D&D player and dungeon master with 8 years of adventuring experience, and as someone that met my wife through the game! I have tried books in this D&D / TTRPG subgenre of Romance before, and I have never quite found a story that I felt represented the game in the way that I needed it to - until now. Roll for Romance is a true love letter to the game and everything that comes with sitting down at the game table with an open heart and open mind.

I absolutely loved the structure of this story, the way Lenora Woods used not just the fantasy story within the D&D games (and I LOVED the D&D game scenes) but other aspects of the D&D experience to build the relationship between our main characters - a strong example being the between-game RP chats. These chats are a low-key/unspoken and sometimes vulnerable piece of the D&D experience. They're not necessarily universal but very important to those that do indulge in them, and I was so touched to see them portrayed here in such an impactful way. She is so masterful at portraying how D&D characters have a piece of their player at their core; whether that piece is their fear, their hopes, or their flaws, there is always something deeply personal about a D&D character. As a result, this story did such a wonderful job at portraying how two characters interacting within this fantasy world, both at the game table and in private, can help their players get to know each other better and allow them to say things they may not be brave enough to say in the real world.

As a small note, I also really appreciated how little focus was put on the fact that this is a table of beginners - sometimes the "struggle" of learning the game is funny in real life, and it's definitely realistic, but in these books it's not quite as enjoyable to experience. The focus was on the story the table was telling together, rather than the mechanics, and I can't express how much of a relief that was!

I loved both our main characters, as well as the rest of the game table. This opposites attract trope is always fun, but I love that at their core they both were adrift in their own ways. I adored the way they found comfort and peace in each other both in-game and in real life - the way Sadie's character would get scared or nervous and Noah's would comfort her mirrored the dynamic forming in real life?? true romance. I was swooning.

There's so much I could say about this book and the way it captures such an intimate and vulnerable part of Dungeons and Dragons. I can tell this author has so much love for this experience that comes from playing the game with the goal to connect with others and tell a story together. This is such a wonderful representation of the game and the bonds that are forged between everyone at the table, not just the romantic leads. I can't wait to see this adventure continue and the found-family around the table grow and strengthen!

I rated Roll for Romance 5 stars (I'd give it more if I could). I do feel that you will enjoy this reading experience more if you have some measure of exposure to D&D beforehand - whether through firsthand experience or liveplays such as Dimension 20, Adventure Zone (I caught that easter egg!), Critical Role, etc. But if you've ever experienced that magic of telling a story with your friends, or watching others do so, you'll love this book.

*****Read as an ARC*****

4.5⭐️, rounded up!

Roll for Romance was one of the most well done themed romance books I've ever read. Every trope is nuanced, keeping it engaging and genuine while so feeling familiar and comforting. Each character has their own space within the story, yet seemlessly nestle into the world Lenora Woods pieced together for us.

One of the biggest wins for this story is how genuine and real the characters are. It feels like reading the story of a real person rather than a bigger than life,grandiose representation of one. And that makes Roll For Romance one of the most gently immersive books I've ever read.

The other highlight is the integration of the d&d characters POV - what a brilliantly engaging way to draw readers into the story within a story! It also gives a glimpse into what it's really like to be part of a campaign and to become your character. If I didn't already play, this book would absolutely convince me to play.

All in all, Roll for Romance is an absolute triumph, and I can not recommend it enough! 🌿💖✨️