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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Roll for Romance is a charming small-town romance book, about 2 beginner D&D players, exploring the game and the small town together. I did enjoy the romance and the part that was set in "reality", but couldn't care less about the fantasy realm of this read. I understand the motivations and theming of this book, but I wish we spent more time with the actual characters learning about them and their personalities, rather than through a game. It made the characters feel less real, becasue they weirdly mixed their own personalities with the charactrers. The romance we do get I loved, it was so emotional and real. I would recommend this book to a fantasy and D&D loving hopeless romantic.
Thank you so much for Netgalley for the ARC!
Thank you so much for Netgalley for the ARC!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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:
No
I’m stuck between 2-3 stars. At times it was 2, because there was just such a lack of everything. It felt boring and stale. Then at times the storytelling was wonderful. I do like how it brought D&D to life and into the storytelling. But I just feel like Sadie had too much inner monologue and was kind of a flat character. Her big “secret” about her job ending was so anticlimactic. Probably would stick to rating this 2.5 stars, rounded up for the good moments.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
For years, Sadie Brooks has declined her best friend’s standing invitation to join his Dungeons & Dragons campaign. But when she unexpectedly loses her marketing job and flees New York City to spend the summer with him in small-town Texas, she also runs out of excuses to say no.
In the game, she becomes Jaylie, a powerful and self-assured human cleric blessed by the Goddess of Luck with spells to heal her companions. But in real life, Sadie believes her luck has run out, and she hopes the distraction will give her time to clear her head and plan next steps.
She never expected Noah Walker—the handsome, outgoing bartender roped into joining them—to factor into that plan. Like Sadie, he’s new in town. But with a taste for adventure, Noah never stays in one place for long. He’s something of a traveling bard—just like his character Loren, the charismatic, lute-strumming elf. While Jaylie finds herself succumbing to the bard’s charms over the course of their party’s travels, Sadie also begins to fall under Noah’s spell.
As their relationship progresses in both worlds, Sadie can’t help but wonder if they might last beyond the game. But when a surprising new opportunity opens in New York, she must face the truth about why she lost her job in the first place—and whether she and Noah have found something in Texas worth staying for. Torn between her career dreams in the city and the exciting uncertainty of a new adventure, she will have no choice but to roll the dice.
"Luck is for all of you, my friends, if you are brave enough to seize it."
Thank you so much to the publisher, Dell Romance, for sending me an ARC of Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods. This book is a book that I swear was written specifically with me in mind and I really think it's just a love letter to nerds and those of us who are or have been on a journey to find where we might call home. Roll for Romance was such a unique and fun read and Lenora Woods seamlessly tells two stories that are linked together (a DND campaign and the life of the people who play those characters). As someone who loves DND, I found it to be such a fun read with a campaign that I was equally invested in as I was the main story being told between the main characters.
Sadie has run off to Texas post burning out at her job in New York. That pressure that she puts on herself and how it grows with each day closer to the self-imposed deadline was something that I found myself relating to. I appreciated her growth as a character throughout the pages and just found her character really fun and relatable to read about.
Noah is a dream boat. A cinnamon roll, a golden retriever, just generally the best kind of guy. It's always nice to see love interests in books that fall under this category and I especially loved his dynamic throughout the book with not only Sadie, but with all the supporting characters as well!
This was a very real feeling romance and I'm really excited to read more books from Lenora Woods in the future!
- small town romance
- they meet through d&d
- there is in-game interludes
- found family
- there's only one tent
- height difference
- he's sunshine
- she's dealing with burnout
- they fall in love in game and out
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
I think this book could have deserved a higher rating but I think it was not the right time for me to pick it up.
This book was filled with adventure but most importantly finding yourself.
I loved that we got to see the DnD campaign unfold and the love blossom throughout the whole story.
I think the ending was easy to predict but was still the perfect ending in my mind.
The writing was really beautiful I just felt like the book moved a bit slower than I would have liked. I found myself skimming pages and just reading dialogue and honestly I think this is only because I’ve read so much romance lately that I think I personally did the book a disservice.
If you like DnD or have thought about giving it a try this book is for you!
This book was filled with adventure but most importantly finding yourself.
I loved that we got to see the DnD campaign unfold and the love blossom throughout the whole story.
I think the ending was easy to predict but was still the perfect ending in my mind.
The writing was really beautiful I just felt like the book moved a bit slower than I would have liked. I found myself skimming pages and just reading dialogue and honestly I think this is only because I’ve read so much romance lately that I think I personally did the book a disservice.
If you like DnD or have thought about giving it a try this book is for you!
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Received as an ARC.
🎲 Small town
🎲 Role playing
🎲 Falling in love, in game and out
🎲 Found family
🎲 Forced proximity
🎲 Meddling friends
Well this is the kind of book that rolls a nat 20 on charm and a crit fail on being anything less than absolutely adorable.
Sadie, a burnt-out marketing wiz, retreats to small-town Texas for some peace and quiet, and ends up balls deep in a D&D campaign. Enter Noah, the beer-brewing bard who’s got more charisma than a wizard in a love potion shop. Naturally, their D&D characters fall in love, and—whoops—so do they. It’s like a ‘friends to lovers’ trope, but with more dice, fewer emotional breakdowns, and way more flirtation than you’d expect from people sitting around a table rolling for initiative.
Lenora does a brilliant job switching between the real world and the D&D world, making you feel like you’re in a rom-com and an epic fantasy. Plus, Noah? He’s the kind of book boyfriend who makes you want to roll for all that initiative just to get his attention. Swoon.
Even if you don’t know a D20 from your TV remote, the game parts are easy to follow, and actually make the romance even more fun. It’s like the ultimate love quest, complete with awkward first dates, dice rolls, and no dragons to slay (except for emotional baggage).
If you’re into romance, puns, and nerdy bards who know how to steal your heart (and your dice), Roll For Romance is a total win that you’re bound to love.
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Roll for Romance is a fun, light-hearted romance that does an excellent job of weaving two simultaneous tales: one of our real life main character Sadie as she navigates losing her job and trying to find herself again with the help of her D&D group, best friend Liam, and hot bartender Noah; and one of fictional Jaylie and a band of misfits saving the realm in their D&D campaign.
The characters in the story were fun, and Sadie and Noah’s romance was slow at the start but I still enjoyed it. The concept of weaving the D&D storyline through the book narratively instead of talking through how Sadie and her friends actually played the game was a really interesting choice! Personally, I loved it.
The pacing of the romance felt a little off, which is the big thing that kept this from being a five star read for me personally. As I mentioned before, it was slow to start, but then once they kissed, things moved VERY quickly. I love a happily ever after as much as the next girl, but even I was a little surprised by some of the choices that Sadie and Noah made by the end given how little time they’d known each other.
Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for a free and honest review!
The characters in the story were fun, and Sadie and Noah’s romance was slow at the start but I still enjoyed it. The concept of weaving the D&D storyline through the book narratively instead of talking through how Sadie and her friends actually played the game was a really interesting choice! Personally, I loved it.
The pacing of the romance felt a little off, which is the big thing that kept this from being a five star read for me personally. As I mentioned before, it was slow to start, but then once they kissed, things moved VERY quickly. I love a happily ever after as much as the next girl, but even I was a little surprised by some of the choices that Sadie and Noah made by the end given how little time they’d known each other.
Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for a free and honest review!
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia