It was cute. I will still recommend it to patrons, but not my favorite book by this author. The characters were good, and the story wasn’t as cheesy as the holiday series, but I prefer the holiday series to this one. I’ll still read the next installment!

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

i won’t lie — the ruhn danaan-esqu mmc on the cover is what drew me in…

this is perhaps cornier and campier than the holiday series! still a fun read though if you don’t mind the corniness/campiness

5 stars!!
Sarah Raasch is QUICKLY becoming one of my favorite authors. At this point I’ll read anything she writes. My last 3 reads from her were all 5 stars.

This is just so cute and fun! It’s got low stakes, a digestible magic system, and adorable complex characters that fall in love in a way I believe with my whole heart.

I loved this! I've been a fan of Sara Raasch's recent romances and this was, in my opinion, the best of the bunch so far. It's funny and sweet while also being very sexy. It's set in an interesting magical society, but isn't overburdened with worldbuilding. I wasn't overly interested in Sebastian's whole thing as a character--his "anger issues" are deeply inconsistent and basically disappear halfway through--but I liked Thio. I'm excited for the next one!

Thank you NetGalley for this Arc. Omg I freaking loved this book. The begining chapters were a little hard for me just because I was figuring out a new world and magical system. But I loved it. Loved the two main characters and really really loved that this book had more spice than Kissmas and Go Luck Yourself. I was so invested in the end. Can’t wait for the next book.

Sara Raasch is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her new and exciting portrayals of romance just get me every time.

While this book took me a smidge of time to figure out the magic system, once I did it was all systems go. The banter between Thio and Sebastian was on par for the enemies to lovers bit, but the emotion that Raasch built up had me hooked from the beginning. Even the platonic relationship between Orok and Sebastian had me pining for a friend like that.

I have not shut up about this book since I finished reading it. Once I got like a 3rd way through I was hooked and could not, would not stop reading it. This book has so many of my favorite things: Dnd, rivals to lovers, trauma, and really well spoken characters. Yea I will be recommending this one to all my friends now especially my dnd pals. I actually want to play a dnd campaign based off this. A college dnd setting sounds like such a blast

Ever since diving into Raasch’s Royals and Romance series I’ve been OBSESSED with her writing. No other author combines amazing writing, lovable characters, unique fantasy stories and queer romance like Raasch.

The Entanglement of Rival Wizards honestly reads like a contemporary college romance (so don’t turn it away if you’re not a fantasy romance fan) only it involves a human and a half-elf who have both been awarded a grant to continue their research into their respective disciplines. The only problem is that Sebastian and Elethior can’t stand each other despite now needing to work together to complete their degrees.

You never have to convince me to read an enemies to lovers or academic rivals to lovers romance. This trope is my FAVORITE and Raasch does a great job of showcasing their animosity toward one another at the beginning. But you know how hate can create the BEST chemistry!

I honestly thought that this would be a hilarious college romcom with these two having some crazy spell issues going on in their lab but the story actually took a different direction. Sebastian cannot stand Elethior because of his famous family which you come to find out Seb has a history with – and not a good one.

I honestly wasn’t expecting the somewhat dark turn of the story when their respective pasts and issues with the famous Tourael family make themselves known which are both incredibly heartbreaking (and should have trigger warnings of abuse though not on page).

That being said, once their chemistry with one another finally crested over and they started hooking up, I fell for these two. Seb and Elethior’s “let’s just hook up and nothing more” relationship was HOT and set the ground work for me loving them as individuals and as a couple. This is where the book shined in addition to the relationship with Seb and his best friend (whose story we will get next!).

My only hangup besides it getting a bit darker than I anticipated is the research aspect to the story. I found it hard to sink into the first part of the story (before their hooking up started) because I was trying to wrap my head around their school, their respective disciplines and their research. This could just be a me thing but I found it hard to follow what they hoped to accomplish in their projects so I got frustrated and distracted since this was the majority of the first 40% of the book which I hope doesn’t turn new readers away.

But if you love unique fantasy, queer romance then give this one a shot. Just hang in their until the hooking up begins 😊.

*I received an advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Perfect for fans of an enemies to lovers trope! Bonus points if you are a D&D fan! This fun and spicy read was wonderfully magical with easy to follow world building, understandable even to those of us unfamiliar with the elements of D&D. Seb and Thio are adorable, but flawed, which only serves to make them feel more realistic. The deeply rooted friendship between Seb and Orok is a perfect side story! While this is a fantastical romance with quite a bit of spice, there are many deeper moments in this book regarding trauma and grief. I rounded down my star rating to 3.75 as my personal preference is less spice but that’s not a reflection on the book itself. Will absolutely be reading Orok’s story!

Sara Raasch has created another banter-filled romantasy in a delightfully silly world. We've got grad school wizards in a very DnD-coded setting wrestling with their petty rivalry (read: deep-seated attraction). There's incredible side characters, high stakes, and a plot with really good pacing of revealing the forces that have shaped both Seb and Thio. In the end they work through a lot of stuff together (through both bickering and sex, frankly) and I enjoyed how complex and well-fitting their relationship is. Definitely looking forward to the next book in this world!

magical romcom | rivals-to-lovers | two-people-one-research-grant | bratty spice | ptsd | achillean love

This book is absolutely wonderful! I can firmly say it finally converted me to an 'enemies-to-lovers' fan. Sara Raasch has yet again crafted a beautiful, memorable, and incredibly moving story populated with complex, lovable characters in a fascinating setting. I loved the dynamic between Seb and Thio- their journey from rivals to ride-or-die was extremely emotional and made it hard to put the book down! Thio was surprinsgly kind and thoughtful- the way Raasch peeeled layers away from him as the book progressed was very well done and extremeley well paced! Similarly, the evolution of Seb's feelings for him felt believable, his internal monologue and decision- making was realistically conflicted without falling back on the ever-irratating miscommunication trope. I absolutely cannot wait for another book set within this universe!

The Entanglement of Rival Wizards is another fun romance from Sara Raasch. I've loved her other two adult works and this was no exception, so if you liked those books you'll enjoy this one too. Sebastian Walsh is a grad student who wins a grant to study Evocation with the catch that he has to work with his campus rival, Elethior Tourael. Tourael's family was involved in the camp that traumatized Sebastian leading to his massive grudge. But it turns out Elethior doesn't like his family either. The two are clearly attracted to each other but must overcome their prejudices to realize their feelings. This was a very low-plot book, but I loved the connection between the two leads and look forward to the next book in this world! Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another adorable romance by Sara Raasch. I couldn't help but smile at the adorableness found in these pages. I highly recommend this romantasy book to anyone who wants to experience butterflies again.

4.5ish stars rounded down.

I think this is my favourite of Raasch’s so far! I loved the characters, especially our main character Sebastian and the way his anxiety was dealt with.

The plot was equal parts fun and heartfelt, the banter was snarky, the romance spicy, and the overall conclusion left me satisfied. This academic rivals to lovers was a fun, steamy read that I will be recommending!

A super fun and enjoyable read that I devoured in a day. The rivals dynamic between the two MMC’s starting due to a feud between their grad school department was an immediate hook. The forced proximity due to a shared grant proposal was chefs kiss. Watching the two of them go from rivals to attracted to one another to lovers who had to deal with strained family dynamics, and past traumas that strengthened the love between the two was a beautiful story arc. I loved the best friend and driver side characters, there being no jealousy or animosity due to the close relationship of Sebastian and his best friend showed great maturity and respect from his partner. The two MMC’s supported and loved each other through literal trials and tribulations gave the story the perfect heartwarming ending.

This book was an absolute blast! I just finished Sara Raasch’s first two books and devoured them—and this one was right up there with the best. The way she seamlessly blends everyday life with magic feels so effortless, like of course wizards are arguing in nursing homes and accidentally setting things on fire. It’s hilarious, fast-paced, and still manages to sneak in emotional gut punches—I cried, hard, and didn’t see it coming.

The banter was everything I want in a rom-com: sharp, witty, and endlessly entertaining. I seriously couldn’t get enough. The love interest? Total perfection—broody, tattooed, leather-clad, emotionally unavailable... basically designed for me. Their dynamic was pure chaos in the best way, and I loved every second of it.

I already want to reread it just to spend more time with these characters. I need the next book ASAP!

I was utterly obsessed with this book. At first, I was a bit confused about the world and the DnD elements, but I quickly caught on and consumed this story start to finish.

I loved that it was a fantasy rooted in our world, enjoyed the enemies-to-lovers tension, laughed out loud many times, and also felt a genuine sadness at the emotional depth of the characters. I think over the course of the book the characters showed real growth and healed each other, it was wonderful to read. I highly recommend if you are looking for a fun but deep fantasy romance book.

This book was so fun! If you like D&D, or humorous fantasy elements in a contemporary setting, chances are you'll like this book.

The characters were well developed and dialogue felt very natural. Sebastian and Elethior had great banter. The story deals with past trauma, family issues, and self sabotage. Considering these are very heavy topics I would still consider this book pretty lighthearted. There is a lot of humor and the character progression and development of Sebastian and Elethior's relationship is done so well. These heavy topics are part of the characters, but they don't define them. The personal and romantic progression is top notch. I can't wait to read more from this author.

**This review is based on an e-ARC generously provided to me through Netgalley**

Man, this one has a bit of a heavy undertone to it! There's definitely a different vibe to this one than her Royals and Romance series, but I think there's still a lot to love here.

Sara does a wonderful job of creating this magic world that just makes sense and you're able to immerse yourself in it. In this world, we're set in the academic setting of a magic university where Sebastian and Elethior have been at odds throughout their college careers with pranks on each other's majors. But when the two of them are paired together for their final project, they have to put their animosity aside to work together.

I love Sebastian so much: he has so many wounds from a horrible past (the true nature of what happened to him and Orok when they were teens broke my heart) and a major point of this book is Sebastian taking his past experiences and overcoming them in the end. The dynamic between Elethior and Sebastian is *chefs kiss* and those spicy scenes were absolutely delicious.

If I were to make one critique, it's that the magic system was a bit hard to follow. I still don't know if I know the difference between conjuration and evocation but alas, I understood their assignment in the end and in the grand scheme of things, I was more focused on the character arcs than that aspect of the plot.

Overall, I had a great time like I always do with Sara's books. I loved how the story ended for these two and really can't wait for Orok's book!

The Entanglement of Rival Wizards by Sara Raasch is a delightfully sincere DnD-inspired queer romantasy. When two rival graduate researchers from the conjuration and evocation departments are selected to collaborate on a prestigious research grant, they begrudgingly learn to get along and passionately fall in love. Sebastian Walsh is a human Evocation Magus who pranks his way out of PTSD, and Elethior Tourael is a half-elven Conjuration Magus resentfully carrying on the family legacy—at least until he can pay for his mother’s long-term care facility. It is excellent.

Their chemistry is impeccable, DnD fans will love the ins and outs of magical research, and, like Raasch’s other novels, her Magic and Romance series has the perfect blend of silliness and sincerity. Sebastian's invisible fox familiar has a little hat so people can keep track of him. But also, if you want a critique of the military-industrial complex, and more specifically, the negative effects of the troubled teen industry, boy, do I have a book for you. Seb’s trauma-bonded best friend, Orok, is perfect and deserves only the finest things in life. I cannot wait for his book next.

 The Entanglement of Rival Wizards caresses wounded souls trying to survive under capitalism in the guise of a fun romantasy book, and I think that’s a good thing. I would highly recommend preordering before its release September 2, 2025.