I'm a a sucker for a nerdy rom com and even though I know next to nothing about Dungeons and Dragons I loved this one. Nerdy FMC are easy to relate to as I'm a bit of a nerd of myself. And I've never read a rom com with a bartending MMC before she that was a neat twist.

Thank you for the chance to read this early! Unfortunately, this book couldn't grab my attention. I didn't feel like the stakes were high enough and I struggled staying engaged. I loved the concept and was really excited to read this one but for some reason I just struggled to connect :-( I think others will love this one though because the D&D game play chapters were really fun, and it was a really unique take on a romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of this incredibly sweet book!

While I am not a D&D player, I can honestly say that this book lived up to the hype I had for it in my head. The characters both in and out of the D&D world are incredibly lovable and relatable. The pacing of the book is spot on, and the character development of Sadie is exactly what I like to see. She learns lessons and more about herself and doesn't rush to decisions. This book felt well thought out and intentional.

I enjoyed reading this book and will absolutely be recommending it (I already have suggested it to my SIL who plays D&D with my brother!)

This was so cute and fun! As someone who has never played D&D I worried that I wouldn’t be able to follow along. But I think I enjoyed the gaming part of the book just as much as the main storyline. I was so excited to get an arc of this and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, nerdy romance.

3.75⭐️
This was such a cute read! I didn’t know much about it when I picked it up and I’m glad about that! This was my first book about D&D and I loved it! The author does a great job at interweaving two different stories into one.

We have the character in the real world and then we also have the characters in the d&d campaign. I thought this was such a unique way at telling this story! It felt like a cozy fantasy book. I think this would be a great way for those who are looking to try fantasy to test the waters! The main characters had great banter and are both so uplifting and felt like bundles of sunshine! My only gripe is I wish I got to see more of them outside the d&d world. It’s hard with the switching back and forth to really dive deep into their relationship.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House publishing group for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review honestly!

If you want a slow, slow, slowwwww burn, read this!

I loved the D&D aspect, but outside of that the story felt lacking for me?? The idea of Sadie and Noah's story seemed good, but it was better in the D&D campaign almost??

Sadie's story also hit a little too close to home for me personally, but I liked seeing how she dealt with it.

I still had a good time, but not a great time.

adventurous lighthearted reflective medium-paced
Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5

This was a cute read! A great intro to D&D from a romance perspective. The dual storytelling was really interesting and blended nicely. It was a little too on the nose at times and I felt there was some things left unfinished but overall it was decently cute. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for my review.

If you love small-town romance, found family, and meddling friends, Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods is an absolute delight! This charming novel blends the warmth of a cozy romance with the nerdy fun of Dungeons & Dragons, creating a unique and heartfelt love story that unfolds both in and out of the game.

One of the standout aspects of this book is how beautifully it captures the camaraderie of a friend group. The D&D sessions aren’t just a backdrop—they’re central to the story, offering both humor and heart as the characters navigate their real and role-played relationships. The main couple’s love story is especially compelling because it develops on two levels: their in-game characters fall for each other through flirty, playful role-playing, while outside of the game, they slowly realize their own feelings are just as real. It’s a romance built on chemistry, storytelling, and deep emotional connection, making it even more rewarding to watch unfold.

The meddling friends add another layer of charm, ensuring that love doesn’t just happen in a vacuum. Their playful interventions, knowing glances, and encouragement create a strong sense of found family, making the book feel even more heartwarming. And while the romance is swoon-worthy and fun, what truly makes Roll for Romance special is the character growth. Both the main male and female leads undergo genuine development, facing personal challenges and learning to open up in ways that make their love story even more meaningful.

With its mix of humor, heartfelt moments, and flirty role-playing that keeps the pages turning, Roll for Romance is a must-read for anyone who loves geeky, feel-good romances. Whether you're a fan of small-town love stories or just appreciate the magic of D&D bringing people together, this book is a critical hit!

I feel like I've seen an increase in D&D themed romance books in the past few years (which is awesome), so I figured it was about time for me to check one out. This one follows Sadie, an unemployed artist staying with her best friend for the summer. Her friend convinces her to join his D&D group, where she meets Noah, the handsome and charismatic bartender. I really enjoyed the other members of the group, and wished we could have gotten more scenes with them outside of the D&D sessions, or gotten more character development from them. That being said, I know the focus of the story was Sadie and Noah, who had some really cute moments. Especially the camping trip no one else wanted to go on, and the scenes of Sadie working on the mural at the tavern bar with Noah's supervision. I think I just wanted a little more out of the story and the characterization, but overall it was definitely cute.

Cute romance story with an added D&D quest being told between the characters own stories. I haven't read a story like this before and I liked it, but the only set back is that it dragged for a bit too long at times. Main character Sadie is going through some life changes and goes to stay with her best friend Liam while she decides her next steps. Thanks to him they start a D&D campaign and she begins to make new friends and she gets to be creative again and continue making art. I like that the relationship between Sadie and Noah progressed at a very normal pace, like they actually talked and got to know each other. It did not felt rushed even thought it happened in the span of one summer, a lot of recent books are so insta love/lust that they don't feel believable. They also had great character growth and no third act breakup. If you like anything related to games, D&D, cosplay and nerdy things in general definitely give this book a chance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This book is going to end up being one of my favorite reads of the year. I fully expected this to be some cutesy little romance book but it packed quite the emotional punch.

The book is split into two POVs: Sadie (our FMC) and Jaylie (her D&D character). At first I wasn’t sure how I would like Jaylie’s storyline but I ended up looking forward to them. And kudos to Woods for using that storyline to advance the relationship between Sadie & Noah in such a unique way.

The relationship building between Sadie and Noah is a little subtle at first but I think it goes really well with Sadie’s overall plotline. And I felt that their relationship blossomed at a pretty good pace for a book Reagan considered “slow burn”.

There is a pretty toasty open door scene but for the most part the focus of the book is on the emotional relationship. Also, you do not have to be familiar with D&D to read this. I know absolutely zero about it and I still really enjoyed this book (and I’m also kind of intrigued about the game)

4.5 stars.

This book had a little bit of everything, subtle believable chemistry between the main characters, entertaining role-playing shenanigans, and just enough adventure to keep things moving along. I enjoyed the bouncing back and forth between their everyday lives and their RP personas, adding some extra depth and plenty of nerdy charm.

That said, the D&D storyline itself felt a bit like trudging through a side quest that overstayed its welcome. It wasn’t bad, but it was a little dry for me.
All in all, it’s a fun, lighthearted read with a unique premise that’s worth picking up, especially if you’re in the mood for some romance with a side of dice chaos. Thank you for the ARC!

I absolutely loved this book. I don't read a lot of contemporary romance, as I'm more of a sci-fi/fantasy reader, but this book was perfect. The romance was toe-curling sweet, and the development of the characters' relationship felt so real. I appreciated that they established a friendship and flirtation before anything happened. While they both definitely had instant-attraction, nothing felt rushed or force.

I also really appreciated that the main character, Sadie, developed meaningful relationships with the whole group, not just her love interest. I loved the girlhood friendships, her childhood best friend friendship, and of course the progression of strangers to friends to more between Sadie and Noah.

I also loved all the nerdy aspects! Obviously DnD is a central theme, since our main characters meet when they're playing a campaign together, so all the puns/references were cute without being overbearing or overly corny. I thought it was so fun that when they were playing the campaign, we go to read it as if we were IN the campaign, not just observing the players. Truly a perfect way to showcase that, and such a great blend of fantasy and contemporary romance!

And I loved how other nerdy hobbies - cosplay, fanart, fanfiction, and roleplay - were talked about in such a positive light. These are so often talked about/written about in a shameful light, so it was nice seeing these hobbies being seen and discussed so positively!

Also, the character growth was great! It was so nice seeing the female lead grow into herself. This book wasn't just about her and her love interest, it was about HER as a person and all the nuances with being an individual!

I hope Lenora writes more books, because I will buy them instantly!

There’s something about a character that thinks that they have just hit rock bottom when they lose their job and have to be pulled from a depressive stupor to place far away and that place being the door that opens to so many things that they didn’t realize they were missing.

Enter Sadie, she’s just gotten fired from her dream job in marketing at the company of her dreams. And her best friend and Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master, Liam, whisks her away from her apartment in New York, to the small Texas-town of Heller where she’s agreed to spend the summer. She also finally accepts his invitation to join his new D&D campaign where she plays Jaylie, a cleric who follows the Goddess of Luck. The character Sadie’s perfect foil. Jaylie is self-assured, confident and willing to take risks at a moment’s notice, everything that Sadie doesn’t feel she is capable of. What Sadie didn’t expect were the other people joining the game to become so important to her over the span of the summer, particularly Noah, who plays a charming bard named Loren.

However, Noah and Loren share more similarities, they both never stick around in one place for too long and they yearn for adventuring and discovering new places. As Loren charms Jaylie, Sadie too begins to fall for Noah’s charm. But as their relationships move forward both in game and in real life, Sadie is faced with a choice to go back to New York, join a new exciting marketing company and face the real reason why she was fired or if she is willing to take a chance on Heller and Noah.

I had such a good time reading this, books that have D&D elements or are just flat out D&D inspired are kryptonite for me. I also just love the dynamic that Sadie has with Liam, the gentle pushing of getting her out of the house is so realistic. Sadie’s struggles with her mental health, burnout and dealing with the fear of disappointing herself and the people in her life, is so incredibly relatable. Her rediscovering her love of art and things that she had pushed aside because of her demanding job is also touching. The relationship that she develops with the players, the town, herself and Noah and the bond she strengthens with Liam is heartwarming.

I particularly loved that there isn’t anything incredibly dramatic or life shattering that happens at the midway point, it feels like an actual honest to real life romance. The D&D aspect of the game shouldn’t be scary to people who are unfamiliar with the game, Lenora Woods does a good job of teaching the basics of the game through Liam, because the campaign is also for characters that haven’t ever played D&D before.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy.

Roll for Romance was an absolute delight! The mix of humor, romance, and adventure was perfect, and the characters were so much fun to follow. The story was lighthearted yet meaningful, and I couldn’t put it down. A unique, charming, and utterly enjoyable read

A romantic comedy for the table top loving gamers of the world.
This book was thoroughly charming. The story takes place in small town Texas where a group of strangers come together to play their first Dungeons and Dragons game.
It centers around Sadie; a former corporate hot shot from New York, and Noah; a rugged vagabond with a love of nature.
This author does a great job of switching back-and-forth from the world of the game to the world of the book.
It was delightful to watch not only Noah and Sadie slowly fall in love; but to see their characters fall as well.
A very enjoyable lighthearted read.

The characters are really cool, they feel very realistic. The hero felt like a normal person, not a book hero, if that makes sense. I wasn't expecting that but it was nice and fresh and he was a really cool person.

Their relationship was very centered and sweet with a good chemistry and friendship and that is always super nice to read.

I love nerdy characters and I love seeing people fall in love with dnd, it is the best thing in the world.

I do have to say, this is probably my least favorite way I've read a dnd campaign in game. I've seen it in with a comic addition in between the chapters and just normal dialogue between the characters. In this book we got the chapters in third person as if it was a whole different book immersed in the campaign from the perspective of the PCs. The thought of it is amazing and if I had known that beforehand I would have been interested in seeing that, but I feel like in reality when actually reading the book, it just didn't work for me. It broke immersion too much and I didn't care enough about the PC's without the component of the players and their above-table interactions. I am sure other people will love this aspect though.

This one is for the nerds, the former tumblr fandom kids, and the A03 frequenters. 
I loved Roll for Romance SO MUCH. 
This book follows our FMC Sadie, who is taking some time from her busy NYC office career life and spending the Summer in Texas with her best friend, who convinces her to join a new Dungeons & Dragons campaign he'll be running. This reprieve puts Sadie in a position to give a second thought to the path her life had been taking. She spends more time and energy focusing on her artistic skills and passions, and fostering the friendships and community she stumbled into. It doesn't hurt that she's also definitely crushing on the hot bard in her D&D group. 
 
Roll for Romance felt like a love letter to me and all of my friends. It was so nice to read a story that depicted Dungeons and Dragons in SUCH an accurate and beautiful way. It's so obvious that Lenora has a deep and genuine love for the game in the same way that my friends and I do. I saw myself and the experiences I've had at the table in every page. It's incredible to see the parallels between the characters and their in-game personas - how they experiment with and draw inspiration from the characters that they've created. I loved seeing Sadie draw confidence from what she thought Jaylie would do, I do this ALL the time with my own characters. D&D gives you a chance to experiment with different versions of yourself; to pull at different parts of your personality and see what it would be like to run with that, or to imbue yourself with characteristics, skills, or traits that you might want to have, but don't think you do. I think we got to see this with Sadie and everyone else in the party, and it was just so special to see that depicted in a book. 
 
And the ROMANCE was so so sweet. I loved the parallel of a budding in-game romance and out-of-game romance. It was sweet and light and swoony and just FUN. I especially loved the blurred lines of their role play chats, absolutely chefs kiss !!!
 
Also just the way that Lenora wove in the D&D sessions into the book was SO fun. I wasn't sure how she would manage it, but I loved that we just got to jump into the narrative as if the book suddenly became an adventure fantasy book. These chapters were really fun to read and also to wonder behind the scenes about what was happening at the table - what rolls were being made or spells attempted. It was just such a good time. 
 
I can't recommend this book enough - especially to anyone who loves rolling dice at the table with their friends. If you play D&D, you will find Roll for Romance incredibly charming, accurate, and relatable. I also think that if you have never played, this would be such a lovely way to start to learn what D&D is all about.

Roll for Romance is one of the most unique romance novels I’ve ever read. Lenora Woods brilliantly weaves together two worlds—one in real life and one in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign—in a way that felt fresh and exciting. The story follows Sadie, a woman recovering from burnout after being fired from her high-powered job in New York. She’s staying with her best friend, Liam, in a small Texas town, where the only rule is that she has to join his D&D group. As the group creates a storyline, their fantasy world unfolds alongside the real-life events of the book, and this dual narrative made for a truly immersive experience.

Sadie’s romance with Noah, a carefree, free-spirited player in the D&D group, develops slowly but sweetly. Noah helps her rediscover her love for art, and she even paints a mural for his best friend's quirky brewery. The romance felt grounded and realistic, with no over-the-top drama, just two people finding their way back to themselves through each other. It’s a love story that feels like it could happen to anyone, which was refreshing.

While the concept was fantastic, I did find the pacing a bit slow in the first 60% of the book. Despite the slow start, I enjoyed the overall journey, and I’d definitely be interested if the author decides to continue with one of the other characters, especially with that intriguing cliffhanger in the D&D world!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an eARC in an exchange for an honest review.

I have to start with saying I am 100% the target audience for this book. I am a class-A nerd, I love gaming, I met my partner gaming, and I've come to love reading cozy, predictable romance novels in between my more intense reads.

That being said, Lenora Woods absolutely nails the vibe. It is clear she loves gaming, in fact the d&d portions of the book were by far the most fun to read. I fell in love with the characters in the game, the adventures they had, and the camaraderie they all came to share with one another. In fact, I felt like Woods held back in fully getting her geek on to make it more palatable for the non-nerdy readers, which I totally get. Though I for one want to see her let her geek flag fly higher next time lol.

But... it is still a romance book. And that is where it fell a little flat for me. The chemistry between the FMC and MMC felt stiff. I found the MMC to be boring and one-dimensional, putting all the charm and charisma into his gaming counterpart rather than the man himself. The writing style and I didn't quite get along either, and so there were times where reading it felt like a chore rather than the relaxation it was meant to provide. A lot of telling instead of showing, references to actions happening off-screen that were more interesting than what was happening on the page, the pacing was a little disjointed, that kind of thing.

However, as this was Woods's first novel, I'm looking forward to how her style develops down the road. As a fellow member of the nerdy kingdom, and as delighted as I am to have nerdy romances as a sub-genre, I'm in for whatever she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

3.25 stars