3 ⭐️

This was a cute! I think I just wanted more from it. The romance is almost like a subplot imo. ~
D&D does sounds kind of fun if you have a group of friends to play it with. - found family, fmc is an artist, found family.

I think technically this is more like a 3.5 for me, but in terms of full stars it leans more towards 4 than 3, so here we are. I don't think this was a bad book by any means, but I do feel like the romance aspect as whole was somewhat hindered by a good third of the book being not about our two main characters, but about their D&D characters. It seems like what the author really wanted to do was write a fantasy novel, but they wanted that D&D framework, and thus decided to write two books (one in the real world and one in the D&D world) and stick them together. Because of this, we don't really get a full feeling of either of them. The real world side feels rushed, because so much of the story is taken over by the in world D&D game, and the D&D side feels rushed because it's not REALLY the main focus. Honestly, the part I enjoyed about this book the most was the love interest and the side characters. The love interest was really good at not wanting our FMC to make decisions based on what she thought he would want, and I really appreciated that. I also just really liked the D&D group (the people, not their in-game characters, although those were fine), and wish we would have gotten a little more of them too. I could see this author doing a companion novel to this one, maybe about the DM, but I don't think I would check it out if she did, just because this was more miss than hit for me. Like I said, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't really what I was hoping for it to be. I can't really see myself handselling this, but I certainly wouldn't try to dissuade people from buying it, and I'm sure it's going to find its audience out there, it just wasn't me.

4.5⭐️ Absolutely enjoyed all of this. Sadie is such a real example of what anxiety can look like. Loved how she worked through it. Noah was the perfect, supportive golden retriever type. The world building of the actual DnD game was so fun also. Great read for DnD lovers and those like me who are married to one.

Sadie has lost her marketing job and needs to get away. Thankfully, her best friend has a place for her. He also has a new dungeons and dragons campaign about to start. Sadie meets the other players and one is Noah. A very handsome bartender who tends to travel more than put down roots.

As they play DnD and get to know one another, they both open up more and more. Noah opens up about past hurt; and Sadie finally admits what happened at her job. Is there a future for them together. Will Noah decide to stay a little while or move on. Will Sadie take the new marketing job in New York.

Thank you @netgalley, Random House, and the author for the advance reader copy.

oh how I LOVED this story!!! I’ve never played D&D but have always respected it as a fun, engaging, creative game of storytelling. I absolutely LOVED how this story was both modern and in the D&D world, and showed our couple falling in love in both worlds!!!

Sadie is such a relatable character, I love how she takes the time and space she needs to heal and figure out her passions and goals. and I absolutely love the way Noah helps her in this, while also being a good friend and eventual romantic partner. I love their irl relationship, how it begins and how it grows, always being honest and tender with each other.

and the D&D plot was so fun!!!!! I love the way Sadie finds herself in her character and how she and Noah explore their passion and romance within their characters as well.

overall this is truly a unique, creative, romantic, tender love story full of joy and whimsy and heart. I absolutely love this story!!!!

thank you so much for the ARC!

I’m not a D&D person, but this was still utterly charming. The way the author interspersed chapters of real life with chapters of the lushly built fantasy world of the game, and the way feelings and actions in the game carried back to real life (and vice versa) was wonderful. It made me wish I had the imagination and patience to try to play, but instead I’ll just hope she writes more like this so that I can live vicariously.

ROLL FOR ROMANCE • Lenora Woods • Pub Date: July 15, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an eARC of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Abridged Goodreads Synopsis: When Sadie loses her marketing job, she flees New York City to spend the summer with her best friend in small-town Texas, where joining his Dungeons & Dragons campaign is the perfect distraction while she plans her next steps. In the game, she becomes Jaylie, a powerful human cleric blessed by the Goddess of Luck. But in real life, Sadie believes her luck has run out, until she meets Noah Walker, the outgoing bartender roped into joining their party as Loren, an adventurous and charismatic lute-strumming elf. As their relationship progresses both in-game and out, Sadie wonders if what they have might last beyond the summer. But when a new opportunity arises in New York, Sadie must face the truth about why she lost her job in the first place, and whether she and Noah have something worth staying for.

Read if you're a fan of:
🎲 cozy romance
🎲 friends-to-lovers
🎲 cinnamon roll MMC
🎲 fantasy and/or gaming elements

First and foremost, do you need a firm understanding of D&D to read and enjoy this book? No! The author makes sure to walk readers through the highlights of the gaming elements within the story. So, regardless of your exposure to table-top roleplaying games, this book is still an enjoyable read. A few of the references are a little corny (thinking of that interview scene....), but overall, this was an adorable twist to a romance. The story within a story element was also well executed and fun.

While I absolutely enjoyed this story, the career storyline is what fell flat for me. The slow rollout of why Sadie left her job felt drawn out and unrealistic. The "resolution" also felt a little too "Hallmark" far-fetched for me. The pacing sometimes lagged as well. I'll admit, the story sometimes failed to hold my attention, which led to me taking a few weeks to finish this one.

TL;DR: If you are a romance girlie looking for a lighthearted read that is a little unique to your average romance book (thanks to the fantasy, D&D elements), give this book a read!

This was a very cute story that I think my friends that love D&D will appreciate so much!

This was such a different setup of most romance books I read. I love that it got very creative with the two storylines: the real life one and the D&D adventure the group took on. However, there were moments I feel that were ignored in the real world that could have had more depth and time to build upon. More doing, less saying if you will.

I did love the bit of romance we saw between Sadie and Noah but I wanted MORE. More in the sense of seeing them build on their relationship and truly see them make Heller their home. There were some spicy moments and I give it 2 🌶️ out of 5.

Overall, this was a very entertaining read and I hope there’s a second book to continue on the adventure. Thank you so much NetGalley, Ballantine and Lenora Woods for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

A romantic Dungeons & Dragons? Sign me up!

I’ve been a lover of the game since I played “Pathfinder” with my uncle when I was 8. It not only became a game I grew to enjoy but something I looked for in books as well.

Roll for Romance was perfect.

Sadie’s struggles in the beginning really hit home, and her escape into “Jaylie” her powerful human cleric, made it to where she could put a pause on the overwhelming feelings and be someone else for a day.

I loved reading the romance blooming in both her worlds. Noah aka Loren the handsome bard, sweeps her off her feet in both the real world and pretend.

This is a perfect friends to lovers rec that you can finish quickly. The plot was unique but realistic, being the perfect mixture of real life romance and fantasy.

The ending was perfect. No third act break up, great bc communication between Sadie and Noah. One of my favorites book couples of the year!!

Also, side note that I put in my kindle: what’s wrong with Captain America😂?

Personal Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice:🌶️🌶️

this unfortunately just didn't do a ton for me. it was a fine book there was nothing glaringly wrong with it. I feel like there was a disconnect when it came to the game play and the actual story being told. A lot of this book does include game play which was not bad but it felt like we were supposed to see chemistry happen during game play and it translat over to the real world, but unfortunately I didnt feel like it worked well.

Thank you to Dell Romance and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This book is an adorable Dungeons & Dragons story that gave me the feeling of Well Met by Jen Deluca due to the character tropes and personalities of a small-town romance story. However, I will say this could be a story that dives into a Dungeons & Dragons campaign from the deep end and then wading through the pool. So, because of this, I would recommend this story to more knowledgeable Dungeons & Dragons fans rather than beginners. Overall, I greatly enjoyed this story. Because of these points, I have to give this a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

I wanted to like this book. I enjoy good games and sometimes I will play D&D with my guy friends. It felt like there was more detail inside the role play rather than outside the game. I wanted more of the growth of the relationship and friendships so I was disappointed when it would go into the game again. I also wish it had a better transition of changing realities.

Thank you Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC!

This book was such a surprise! My husband just started playing DnD, and so this was a great way to bond with him. The romance was obviously the highlight for me, but it also gave me some more context on what my husband does in his weekly DnD sessions. So cute!

Thank you again for the ARC!

Roll for Romance is several things all at once. It's a romance, obviously, and really it's two romances. But it's also a story of self discovery, new friendship, and Dungeons & Dragons. Most of the time, all of these things work well together, and the end result is a cute and fun book that doesn't take itself too seriously. I thought that it blended the DnD story elements into the main narrative well, and the DnD narrative itself was pretty solid on its own. There were a handful of moments of the story that didn't quite mesh for me, but overall, this was a perfectly fun and enjoyable read!

3.5/5

thank you netgalley and dell for the e-arc!

this was an adorable and nerdy romance perfect for d&d fans!

Sadie's journey with leaving her job and NYC is SOOO relatable for anyone who has been in her shoes and was the most compelling part of the story for me. I also LOVE the direction the author went with Sadie finding and following her passion.

The D&D aspects were also super compelling for me as someone who plays the game! It was so lovely to actually see the gameplay and story in the book.

While Sadie's relationship with Noah was sweet, I wasn't completely sold. He's a cinnamon roll through and through from page one and I just wish they had more growth together.

4.5 ⭐️ / 2 🌶️

With me being in the height of my DND/Baldurs Gate 3 obsession, I loved every second of this book. I will say this is a slowwwww burn and took a second to get going, but once it kicked off, it was so so so good!

Roll for Romance follows Sadie, a NYC resident who was recently fired from her big office job. To recuperate from a depressive rut, she goes to stay with her childhood best friend, Liam, in Texas. While recovering from burnout, she starts to reconnect with old hobbies (art/painting) and even some new ones (DND). It is at her first DND session that she meets Noah, the BARD.

I really loved Sadie and Noah as a couple. Noah was everything she needed. Someone who knew how to reconnect, recharge, and not get burnt out. Her really helped her realize that some things must be taken day-by-day.

The POV switches from IRL characters to their DND characters threw me at first, but it was so much fun by the end!! I found myself SO EXCITED to read what they do next! And especially that last session?!? WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WITH LOREN AND JAYLIN!!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book!!! I would recommend to anyone that is into DND, or any other tabletop RPGs! Also would recc to anyone who loves a burly, bearded, buff man.

Thank you so much, NetGalley, for the ARC!

Roll For Romance by debut author Lenora Woods is a sweet, character-driven story set in Texas 🌵, with a unique twist: about half the book unfolds through immersive Dungeons & Dragons gameplay scenes. Although those parts didn’t capture me as much, diehard RPG fans will likely appreciate that style.

The standout of this story is Sadie’s journey. After being fired from a high-powered marketing job, she’s at a crossroads— rejoin the burnout grind or choose peace. Her arc felt authentic, layered, and deeply relatable. It was not surprising when I read the author’s note to learn that Lenora Woods has experienced burnout herself—her lived experience shines through in Sadie’s evolution.

I didn’t feel a major spark between Sadie and Noah, but I did appreciate the slow burn of friends to lovers, the consent, and personal growth elements of this sweet story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5 stars, rounded to 4)

I loved the premise of this book! Was so unique to tie in the D&D timeline. It was refreshing to see a main character navigate her way through burnout. I loved watching her connection with Noah grow throughout the story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I did DNF this book at 30%, but feel that I can still give a review.

Roll for Romance, at least 30% of the way in, is more of a book about a group playing D&D, and less about the romance. It started to bud when I decided to stop reading. Someone who is interested in the game would really enjoy this book. Part of the scenes are in the "real world" with the group of friends, and part of the book is their imagined narrative in the game.

Overall, I wasn't engaged due to the topic, and this definitely read like a first novel.

Sadie Brooks was recently let go from her job in New York City and she finds herself in Texas visiting her best friends as she tries to figure out what comes next. When Liam, her best friend, talks her into joining his Dungeons and Dragons campaign she becomes hooked. The game is her new escape, but she also meets some new friends along the way, including. Noah, the hot bartender she’s quickly falling for. As the pieces fall into place in Texas, Sadie must decide if she’s going back to NYC or not.

I know next to nothing about Dungeons and Dragons, but fell in love with this sweet romance almost instantly. I’ve never read a book like this where the story alternated back and forth between reality and the Dungeon and Dragons game characters story. I thought this story was very creative and a great approach to this kind of romance. I enjoyed all of the characters in this book, both the real ones and the characters in their game. I’m glad I got to follow along as Sadie found herself and what she really wanted out of life. This was a fun read and I was entertained throughout.

This was such a great read. I loved how it felt like we got two stories in one. Noah and Sadie were perfect together and I really appreciated how Liam was the supportive best friend Sadie needed and was there when it mattered most. I also enjoyed watching Sadie use both the time and the D&D game to figure out what she truly wanted in life.