Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was such a cute read. Sadie and Noah’s romance was beautifully written, and so real. I loved how much they complimented each other’s needs. They are the definition of a healthy relationship.

I also loved that the story wove the contemporary plot line in with their D&D campaign. It blends the fantasy and contemporary romance genres seamlessly for a unique plot.

The pacing was slow at times but I wouldn’t even count that as a negative because it speaks to a main theme in the book to slow down, and appreciate the little things in life.

This really was a heartwarming read. As a failed D&D player (the fight scenes always took so long I lost interest) I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves romance, D&D and/or fantasy. We need more nerd romances like this, coming from a fellow nerd.

I’m not a D&D kind of girl but I thought I would be interested to read a book that has D&D in it. Lenora has created this world that I would love to get lost in. I loved that this love story was done with such careful planning. It had its slow and steady moments but it was beautiful. The author way of making you feel like your right there watching get their HEA was phenomenal. I hope there's a second book in the series so we can see more of the other characters. Loved this book. Can’t wait to see what else you write Lenora Woods.

✨📚ARC Book Review
Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods
🗡️Release date July 15, 2025
4⭐️ 1.5🌶️

D&D, art, music, witty banter and romance. Yes please! Roll for Romance was a really cute nerdy friends to lover romance! I really enjoyed the chapters and the way the author wrote the D&D game. I felt immersed into the sessions they played. This story was really unique and I loved all the references. Big fan of this story.

💜Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing for sending me this ARC!

#rollforromance #gaming #romance #reading #books #bookstagram #advancedreadercopy #dungeonsanddragons #netgalley #randomhousepublishing

I'm giving this 4 stars because it felt like a standard contemporary romance novel. The romance and connection felt slow, but that might be a personal taste because I like fasted paced romance and spice. I liked the premise of DND, but felt confused at some points especially early on in the story from someone who has no idea about the inside workings of the game. I have a feeling this book will be well loved and well received from all gamer girls who also have romance novels!

Thank you to the author & publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 Stars
Thank you to the publisher for the early review copy via Netgalley.

First: This book is not just for d&d players. I'm a newer d&d player, I'm on my 2nd character in my 2nd campaign. The author weaves enough information on how to play the game throughout the story to make it easy to understand for the non player. But there's also not a big info dump to make it boring for a seasoned player.

We get alternating stories going. The FMC, Sadie in the present coming off of losing a job recovering from burnout trying to recover and decide her next steps. And then we have Sadie's d&d character, Jaylie, as she navigates her fantasy world. I like that both Sadie and Jaylie are both overcoming problems as the story goes on and that Sadie figures some stuff out about herself via Jaylie. I should also point out that the author had to basically write not one, but two stories in the book and keep them both interesting and I think it was done very well.

The romance really wasn't one that will stand out for me, it was definitely cute enough, but I feel the author leaned more into the d&d aspects than actually fleshing out the romance. There was some flirting both in character and in real life and like one actual date, before they're professing that they want to explore their relationship more. Normally, I would consider this a bad thing, but it wasn't exactly insta-love. It toed the line of being insta-love, but not really in my opinion.

I will definitely recommend this book in the future as a cute romance with d&d and no 3rd act break up!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you know me, you know how much I love Dungeons and Dragons. So when I saw the title for this book, I HAD to dive into it. Especially with valentine’s day being over the weekend and my love life is questionable 🤷🏻‍♀️

In Roll for Romance, we have the main character, Sadie, going through some major life choices and is invited by her best friend, Liam, to spend the summer with him in a small town in Texas. Liam organizes a short campaign for new players during the summer and brings a new crew together and into the world of Dungeons and Dragons. With the crew comes new lumberjack golden boy, Noah, who quickly shows who he really is meant to be with the party.

Woods does a wonderful time swapping between narratives above the table and at the table. It was fun to see how a player would interpret the scene and put them into prose. Also, I wish my players would do one on one roleplaying on a forum, but that’s probably asking for too much?

Over all, it’s a fun and entertaining read that really brought up some major life challenges of who we are in our worlds and who we allow ourselves to be.

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. I wanted to just kip entire chapters to move on to something else. 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.

This book was such a fun and cute story! I really enjoyed the dual POVs of Sadie and her D&D character, Jaylie. And the game references felt super accessible. I think this would be great for someone who had no prior Dungeons and Dragons knowledge, as well as someone who has played the game before.
The romance between Sadie and Noah was sweet and simple. I love how they both supported each other in their endeavors as well.
This was a great debut from Woods! Can’t wait to read more of her work in the future.

This was an absolutely adorable and refreshing read. It combined contemporary romance with fantasy scenes seamlessly and was just a delight to read. As a lover of both romance, fantasy, and D&D this was an ideal read for me!

I was suggested Roll for Romance by the publisher and it didn't disappoint! Not a five star read but a solid fun story. I love the parallels with Sadie and Jaylie's stories and Lenora does a good job of balancing D&D info for readers who might know nothing and those of us super familiar with the game. I loved the story within a story element and was equally invested in both. Thanks for sending!

I’ve been wanting to get into D&D more because it always looks so fun. And the romance subplots are to die for, so when I saw this I knew I had to read it.
I think it was so cool to switch between the characters irl and into the game. This book felt really steady and cozy, nothing too dramatic was going on but it was enough to see it to the end. Some parts were a little confusing as I am a newbie to the D&D world. Regardless, I still enjoyed it!

This was a really cute read to me. I loved that it was a contemporary romance based in reality but had the fantasy aspects with the Dungeons & Dragons campaign. This book surprised me with how well it incorporated the fantasy elements with the campaign. I love how some aspects of the characters relate to me. I would 100% pick this book up again.

i believe this is a debut novel from lenora woods? and it was phenomenal!! so perfectly nerdy, romantic & fun. i love that we switched from the main plot line to the actual dnd campaign. i loved sadie & noah, as well as the other characters in this book! i felt like their dnd campaign ended on a cliffhanger so, fingers crossed that she continues the story with these characters lol. this is a perfect palette cleanser in between all of the thrillers or fantasy that i read. i think this is perfect for anyone who is interested in a fun romance & also learning a bit about dungeons and dragons! 4/5 stars!

i was provided this arc in exchange for my honest review. thank you netgalley and random house!

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 enjoyed the romance and part 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, because they weirdly mixed their personalities with the characters. In 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.

This was an interesting read. Not horrible…just different. Maybe a little too much on the role playing, taking away from the actual story line. But it was still enjoyable for someone that knows nothing about D&D.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell for this book. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~

2.5 stars

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. I was really looking forward to it based on the blurb but it felt drawn out. I feel like I could see the end coming from miles away, which isn't necessarily bad, but when you want to bang your head against the wall from the decisions that the characters are making, it is painful. I was really looking forward to the D&D part of the book since I love a good roleplay trope. However, there is SO MUCH D&D roleplaying content that it ended up taking me out of the original story.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this book.

If I could give this more than 5 stars I would! This book is everything I’ve been looking for in a contemporary romance and more. The unique way in which the author weaves the stories of the campaign and Noah and Sadie’s love IRL is amazing. I’ve never felt so connected to a character like I do Sadie in a really long time.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this a lot. I really did. A D&D based romance? I don't necessarily think I've seen one before, but if more exist, point me in that direction.

Our main girl is down on her luck, recently fired from a high end NYC marketing job, and moves in for the summer with her best friend, a teacher in Texas and an avid D&D nerd. He convinces her to join a campaign for the summer, where we meet Noah, a local bartender at a new brewery, also huge gaming nerd, and avid traveler with wanderlust and the inability to settle down.

You get to watch them fall in love as they play their campaign, but also within the story of the D&D game as their characters can't help but flirt with each other.

I have some conflicting thoughts on the pacing here, though. I appreciated the campaign being told as though it was it's own story and getting to read about the world and characters they were falling in love with, but sometimes it felt as though it was taking away from the real people's story. Technically, it's one and the same, but it didn't quite feel that way and the switching could be a little jarring. I enjoyed it all, don't get me wrong, but I think the in-game part maybe could have been shorter or included as a bonus story.

Roll for Romance is an adorable, and unique love story showcasing ha hobby that isn’t typically showcased. Unfortunately it fell flat for me as it is a little slower than I expected, and at times I felt bored and out of touch with Sadie and Noah (the two main characters.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Dell Romance for a chance to review Roll for Romance!

Sadie looses her job and decides to spend some time away from New York with her Best friend, Liam in Texas. While in Texas she begins playing a game of DND with Liam and a couple of people from the small town. That is where we meet Noah! They soon fall in love in the game and in real life.

It’s such an interesting dynamic for a story to be told not only in first person POV, but to also have a story of the characters from their game. I’ve always been so fascinated with DND and the amount of creativity that goes into the game, this was really so magical. Being a contemporary romance AND fantasy? It was a really good idea.

I think the DND sections drug on a little too long for my liking. I didn’t really care for the Noah at certain times, I just didn’t connect with him. Their connection was a little off, I didn’t feel much chemistry. Their characters had more of a connection than them.

Over all 3.5/5!