The Entanglement of Rival Wizards has all the ingredients for the perfect rom-com: great banter, likable characters, enemies to lovers, and as an added bonus—a STEM focused story. One thing that made this book stand out for me is the background stories of the main characters and how they are dealing with grief, PTSD, trauma, and anger. I appreciated how the author weaves their past into the present and acknowledges that our past trauma and grief will always be with us—it might change over time in good or bad ways but it’s part of who we are. I loved how the story showed how important it is to share that part of ourselves with someone that will care for it with the tenderness it deserves. Another thing that makes this story from different from a typical romcom is that it brings fantasy into the world we know. It takes place in Philadelphia but humans live among elves and other magic beings and the aspects of D&D were super fun.
This was my first book by Sara Raasch but it won’t be my last. Her writing style is really fun to read!

Incredibly fun and charming but also with a heavy dose of family PTSD. The main thing I knew going into this was DND and hot academic rivals vibes. Can say I was not disappointed on either of those.
The world building felt a little crazy - I think you are kind of meant to just go with it and not think too in depth about some of the elements. And there were a few things that I wish had been explained a little earlier, like the codependency bond between Seb and Orlock. Which btw, was the most supportive friendship, but then you find out why and have a bit of an "oh f*ck" moment.
The romance was believable, I can see why they were enemies and the dynamic of them going from enemies to friends-with-benefits to 'wait are we more' was a classic execution of tropes and led to some FANTASTIC tension, especially once Seb realizes that Elethior is so far gone for him.

I'm not sure I can quite put into words how much I LOVED THIS BOOK!! I am not a huge romance reader, in that I probably read a scattering each year and whilst I enjoy them, they never quite hit five stars.

But OH MY GOSH, this was perfect... I think it's the only romcom I have ever rated five stars, so if that isn't high praise I don't know what is.

What a delicious amalgamation of tender and touching, spicy, hilarious and meaningful. This story was just so wonderful and the chemistry Sebastian and Thio had was OFF THE SCALE!! I cannot wait to continue this series when future books come out.

(Video on my TikTok to follow)

Oh, I LOOOOVED this.

The perfect combination of romance, comedy, and fantastical elements wrapped into a steamy package all tied up with a ribbon of trauma. I feel like I’ve been consistently disappointed by romances recently, and this made me love the genre again.

Raasch created a modern fantasy world that was so fun, with characters that were well written and humor that actually made me laugh. The intimacy and friendship that this book served up on a platter of inner healing made it impossible to put down.

And I’m SO excited about this being a series! I could honestly read books from this world for the rest of my days.