421 reviews for:

Roll For Romance

Lenora Woods

4.02 AVERAGE


โญ 4.25
๐ŸŒถ๏ธ 1
๐Ÿฅต Spicy chapters: 22, 27
๐Ÿ“š Tropes/Themes: found family, d&d, Golden Retriever MMC, dual realities, meddling friend groups, finding yourself, slow burn,
๐Ÿ‘€ Single POV 3rd person

๐Ÿ’ฌ I really enjoyed this book, it was so sweet and adorable. Almost makes me want to play D&D ๐Ÿ˜‚ 

So many cute things I loved:
- Noah's swoony golden retriever-y wanderlust personality
- The jumps between the main story (real life) and the D&D game narration 
- Noah and Sadie's story written "in real time"
- I'm a sucker for proposals but I like that this ended without that, that their HEA hadn't gotten there yet. 
- The suggested book club discussion questions, Alchemised's bar menu and Liam's character questions at the end

And then just the slow burn romance between the MCs ๐Ÿฅน Noah actually reminds me of a guy that I had the biggest crush on in college so it's safe to say that I would accept him as a book boyfriend LOL

I do wish there had been more backstory to the characters though, especially because it took a while to learn anything about Noah.


funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Obsessed. This nerdy and adorable romance absolutely gets a 5 star rating for me for all the vibes. If you e liked over D&D reads like Dungeons and Drama highly recommend! One could say it landed a critical hit on me ๐Ÿ˜

Sadie has lost her job in the city she always dreamed of living in and with it her purpose. She finds herself in Texas living with best friend Liam as she tries to right the ship. Liam keeps her going with errands, local recommendations, and a game of D&D with other first timers. What starts as a silly game to appease Liam becomes a life changing adventure. New friends, an unexpected swoony bard, and a rekindled love for her art all have Sadie second guessing what she wants for her life.

I absolutely loved how this alternates between their D&D game/story and real life so much. It was fun to get the fantasy vibes and see how their characters played out while following the real world. Sadie and Noah were just so sweet together, it wasnโ€™t overly fussy or complicated, it just felt real and relatable. I just adored it so much ๐Ÿฅน

Thank you to a NetGalley and Ballantine for the eARC! 
adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

SO I have never played DND, but WOW did I love this book! I was worried going into it I would not like that aspect as much and worried Iโ€™d be bored by it. But I found myself just as invested in the DND campaign as I was in the main story! 

Our main character Sadie is struggling after loosing her job in NYC and is now living with her best friend for the summer in his small town in Texas. He is hosting a new DND campaign for first timers and she joins in, unexpectedly falling for a bard (and the guy who is playing as him in the campaign๐Ÿ˜‰) 

The romance was sweet and very fun to read! But my favorite part was how the book switches perspective from the main story to the perspective of the actual DND campaign! I thought it was such a fun choice and got me really invested in both storylines๐Ÿ™‚โ€โ†•๏ธ

The ending really tugged on my heart and I loved the duality of character growth that we see in Sadie through herself and through her DND character. ๐Ÿงโ€โ™€๏ธ

If youโ€™re a romance lover who wants fantasy aspects as well, but isnโ€™t in the mood for a romantasy, Iโ€™d definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley & Dell Romance for this e-ARC of Lanoraโ€™s wonderful book! (I kind of feel like there could be a sequel so just know Iโ€™m already sat and ready for it๐Ÿ™‚โ€โ†•๏ธ)
lighthearted medium-paced

ARC review; thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Dell for the access to this ebook. Pub date: July 15, 2025.

In the afterword, the author says that at its core, this is a story about discovering who we really are underneath the roles we play to get through life, and the importance of surrounding ourselves with people who truly see and love us. That definitely comes through, and it makes this a delightful read.

The story follows Sadie after she loses her job and finds herself a bit lost in life. Her best friend finally gets her to play D&D, and through her character and the people she meets through the game, she starts to climb out of rock bottom.

It's very feel-good, realistic, and entertaining. Though I wish the romance had more chemistry, and I was into it more, I like these characters and was invested enough. I enjoyed the way D&D was used here, and it kinda felt like reading two stories in one because the D&D adventure bits felt like reading fantasy. I wasn't expecting that, tbh. I thought we would only get little scenes of them playing D&D, but what the author did was more immersive and a very pleasant surprise.

Again, I wish I was more emotionally invested in this and I wish we learned more about the entire friend group so the characters all felt fully fleshed out, but as it is, it's a solid book that I could easily recommend to anyone who likes feel-good stories about love, friendship, finding your purpose, having the bravery to make big life changes, and chasing what makes you happy.
adventurous funny reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I say this with all the love in my heart: this book was made for my nerdy girls.

๐Ÿ“• ๐—•๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—œ๐—ป๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป: Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods

๐Ÿ“™ ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Standalone

๐Ÿ“— ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐——๐—ฒ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐˜€: E-book ARC on Kindle, courtesy of NetGalley.

๐Ÿ“˜ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ป๐—ฟ๐—ฒ: Contemporary Romance

๐Ÿ“” ๐—ง๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐˜€: Opposites attract, friends-to-lovers, fantasy vibes.

๐Ÿ“– ๐—ฆ๐˜†๐—ป๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐˜€๐—ถ๐˜€: Sadie just her job and is burnt out when she moves to Texas to take a break at her friends house. When she joins her friendโ€™s new Dungeons and Dragons game, she meets Noah,  who is also new in town. 

๐ŸŒŸ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: I think every review needs context, so Iโ€™ll say it. I have no idea what D&D is or how to play it. Iโ€™ve heard of it, sure. Thereโ€™s a viral video of a celebrity talking about it recently, working through how easy it is to play itโ€ฆ and thatโ€™s what this book felt like. 

I thought this one was just so well done. I got to learn a bit while also reading an adorable romance. If this book was a person, Iโ€™d boop it on the nose. Strangers-to-friends-to-loversโ€ฆ two characters who felt so normal, like they could walk out of the book and be your friendโ€ฆ

And the D&D backdrop only made it better. Lenora Woods weaved the fantasy story into the contemporary story, so it felt like reading two books at once. Iโ€™ve never seen that done before, and I really enjoyed it.

๐—ฅ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด: 4/5 โญโญโญโญ

๐—ฆ๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—น: 3/5 ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ๐ŸŒถ

๐‘ฐ ๐’“๐’†๐’„๐’†๐’Š๐’—๐’†๐’… ๐’‚๐’ ๐‘จ๐‘น๐‘ช ๐’๐’‡ ๐’•๐’‰๐’Š๐’” ๐’ƒ๐’๐’๐’Œ ๐’Š๐’ ๐’†๐’™๐’„๐’‰๐’‚๐’๐’ˆ๐’† ๐’‡๐’๐’“ ๐’‚๐’ ๐’‰๐’๐’๐’†๐’”๐’• ๐’“๐’†๐’—๐’Š๐’†๐’˜.   
lighthearted

โœจDungeons and Dragons 
โœจcozy fantasy-tinged romance
โœจgolden retriever MCs 

Roll forโ€ฆCUTENESS in this adorable romantic fantasy written for the nerds and helllllo, itโ€™s me, Iโ€™m nerds ๐Ÿ’๐Ÿปโ€โ™€๏ธ Solid debut, a CRITICAL HIT! 

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an advanced reading copy in exchange for a review!

I liked the concept but the constant switching for real world story to DND story made it hard for me to stay into the story. I hit 41% and just didnโ€™t see the characters have real spark and think โ€œyup theyโ€™re getting together.โ€
emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A
adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ 4.25/5 stars โ€“ Roll for Romance is a delightful, feel-good read with a fresh premise and a love story that totally won me over.

This book delivers two storylines in one: the real-world slow-burn romance between the two main characters, and the fantasy DnD campaign theyโ€™re playing togetherโ€”which was such a clever way to mirror their real emotions and dynamics. I loved the contrast of the small town romance and the fantasy quest - it's ideal for romantasy readers who want something a bit more lighthearted and fun.

The romance is so cute. Thereโ€™s chemistry, tension, and those soft little moments that sneak up on you. You canโ€™t help but root for them. Itโ€™s wholesome but still gives you that swoon factor. 

The other characters are absolutely full of life. They add humor, chaos, and heart without ever stealing the spotlight.

This was such a fun read and I loved these characters so much! I might even be tempted to learn more about DnD ๐Ÿ˜…
lighthearted fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes

This was a fun and light romance with the fun twist of DND! I enjoyed how the author wrote out the scenes in the DND play as if it were happening. I didn't love how it seemed like Sadie and Noah would confuse each other's characters and their actual personalities. It seemed like they often got lost between their real personalities and their characters in the DND game, and sometimes it seemed like so did the author. But it was a fun and quick read!

Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!