when you know, you know.

personally I am not into this D&D roll playing thing being so immersive. instead of the characters roll playing as their D&D characters, we get these separate chapters as if the reader gets dropped into a fantasy novel. for many, this format and style may excite but for me it drew me too far out of reality for what I was looking for.

thank you to Dell and Random House Publishing Group for the arc in exchange for an honest review

platform: netgalley ebook arc

I was so fucking excited for this because I read a YA D&D romance in December and loved it so much and wanted an adult version of it...

I did not get that...

What I did get, however, is an adult aged child who is stuck in her life and her career, who wants some man she has known for WEEKS (!!) to change his entire life style for her and stay in a town that she is not even sure she wants to stay in. The romance was left to be desired, the sexual connection was something and the most interesting thing about this was the D&D storyline. The storyline in which their characters were falling in love and had actual chemistry compared to them. What is even more wild is that they compared each other to their D&D characters multiple times (even at the end where she was imagining Loren (his character) telling her sweet things about staying and she had to physically force herself to see Noah.

Also there was a time about halfway through the book where she had a breakthrough about why she left her job and what it would mean for her to go back to a similar job in the same place and then she goes "but Noah doesn't know if he's staying" AND??? Why does that matter? Where is your happiness outside of a man you've known for five weeks?

That timeline is not an exaggeration- it is July in Texas (but no j4th of July celebration so that's interesting) and she spent the first few weeks moping in bed and then she said she could start the job on August 15 if she accepted, so these people truly do not know each other.

Overall it was fine, not what I expected, but I am grateful for the ARC- 2.5 stars rounded up

I couldn't wait to start this book, it was so adorably charming. I liked the banter between Sadie and Noah both in the game and in real life. This was a little slow for me in the slow burn of romance but also the slow burn of the D&D game but I understood the overall picture. I did like this book, I just wish we had more of a faster paced adventure in the D&D game to offset the real life slow burn of romance, I think the switching of pace between the two would have been a lot better. I liked that we described the D&D game as if we were in the world instead of always showing "now roll to.." because it shows how people who actually play D&D can get so involved and immersed in the experience. I love it!

This book was so cute!! I loved all of the dnd themes and it was so fun! The characters are so cute together

I automatically adore a romance centered on DND this was just perfection! I'm looking forward to more! I never wanted this story to end

As a fellow DnD player I can honestly say I love this book and the way Woods weaved DnD into the story. We get to experience two romantic storylines, one via real life and one via the campaign, and both are so sweet (and please tell me I wasn't imagining a few nods to BG3 in there, or maybe that was just coincidence). I loved seeing Liam as the DM too, since it brought back little moments of recognition for things our own DM would do in our campaigns. Seeing our MCs dig deep into their own selves to ultimately arrive at who they want to be and what they are willing to do to make that their reality is such a nice juxtaposition against DnD and was a great use of storytelling

I have officially turned to a new trope: D&D Lovers to Real Lovers. This book was so adorable and incredibly relatable. I felt like the FMC, Sadie, was written with me in mind when talking about her struggles of where she fits in and what success really means. On top of that, I loved the writing that brings you back and forth effortlessly through the real world and the D&D campaign world.

The main characters, Sadie and Noah, were incredibly likeable with Noah reminding me of an old soul who was wise beyond his years. Woods did a great job of having you care for not just the FMC and MMC, but every character. I would love to see spin-offs that bring the supporting characters front and center in their own book.

If you love books with real world romance and books all about another realm, you will love this read. It’ll likely have you wanting to start your own D&D campaign too.

I did receive a copy of the ARC for this review.
I think this was a really cute read! I really liked how the author did almost a side to side fantasy with the contemporary romance and it isn't something that I have ever read like that so it was interesting.
I didn't rate it higher because it was cute but nothing super jumped out at me. I would recommend it to some friends but it did take some effort for me to sit through the book and read it, so I wasn't sitting at the edge of my seat to finish it but it was worth reading and I would definitely check out something else from this author!

I felt like this book was not for me, I did get confused when it was going between the fantasy world and reality, however, i do think this book would be for someone else and they’d love it, I totally see the merit in the romance, just not for me.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an eARC of Roll for Romance in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Rating: ★ 4.75 stars
Pub Date: Jul 15 2025

“If the girls were being honest with me and there really is something there… Maybe I should roll for iniative.”

As a casual Dungeons & Dragons player and a sappy romance diehard, this book was everything I wanted it to be and more. The D&D gameplay is lore and mechanic accurate, the stakes are low but just high enough for me to care about Sadie’s dilemmas, and the chemistry between the couple was blazing hot. Some romance books seem to force the two together, but Roll for Romance’s chemistry was perfectly set in motion with Noah fidgeting with Sadie’s ring under the table. Like, sparks flew and then there was a fire of sweet quotes and soft moments.

I loved how we got the story within the story of their D&D campaign, and how it wasn’t just mimicking the events of the story. We see Sadie and Noah’s characters grow close as they do. I was honestly afraid there’d be some awkward in-game moments due to some outside conflict, but both stayed just seperate enough to make it feel believable and tell two satisfying love stories.

“I’m disgustingly sentimental and bubbling with optimism, and it’s all his fault.”

Noah and Sadie brought out the best in each other, and I think that’s what made it such a satisfying romance story. We can actually see them changing after having met each other, and it was refreshing after some romances where the character’s lives and romance kinda stay separate from each other.

I highly highly recommend this, even if you haven’t played D&D. Woods does such a good job introducing the gameplay, and since we get the campaign story directly, it eliminates several layers of potentially confusing mechanics and rulebook dilemmas.

Overall, this book is full of adorable details, two entertaining stories, and fun D&D goodies at the end of the book. Woods, you’re welcome at my table anyday, and you’d always roll with advantage.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC!

I am a huge DnD fan, so naturally when I came across this I was super excited.

This was overall a cozy and delightful novel. The romance was sweet, I loved both Noah and Sadie. It was a slow burn, but you could feel the attraction radiate through the whole book. They had so much chemistry (I could have used more spice, personally).

This was well written and I really quite enjoyed the atmosphere that Lenora Woods created.

I did find the campaign within the book far too lengthy and I lost interest at times. I think someone who hasn't played or is even new to the game would be a little confused. Not a huge deal, but I felt it worth noting.

Ultimately though, I did enjoy this and would be happy to recommend it!

THIS WAS PHENOMENAL! The story of a woman who has to restart her life due to losing her job. She picks up and moves to Texas for a bit to spend time with one of her childhood BFFs. Meanwhile he gets her addicted to the DND game which brings in a cute change in life.

I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN! It was really cool because the author has the main story and then lets you read and watch the DND game they are playing. Also she gives a great summary of how to play DND so that even if the reader is not familiar with the game, they have a nice idea of how it's played. The dialogue between ALL the characters was really great and as the story goes on it becomes more and more relatable. The author did an AMAZING job on having both adults act and communicate like adults instead of dragging on the story and bringing in unnecessary drama/theatrics. It was great that the author also had everyone in this story problem solve instead of throwing tantrums or shutting down. Great story and subliminal message overall.

Spice 2/5 - Vague language, but you're aware of what's going on.

Cover 5/5 -love that you have the characters and intertwined the theme.

Great job Lenora!

I was gifted this arc in return for an honest review by the publisher.

I don't know why it took so long for someone to blend together D&D and Romance. But I have to say, I am SO glad Lenora Woods was that someone. Roll for Romance was so entertaining, I literally could not put it down. I love how you get not 1 but 2 stories within this book. You get the rom-com (and boy is it a good one) AND you get the D&D campaign!
Want to know what its like to play D&D? You will get a taste for how amazing it is to immerse yourself in a story that someone creates, a little bit of choose your own adventure with some carefully planned hiccups from the DM (Dungeon Master)
And Sadie, this girl has been all of us. What I love is that this book talks about burnout culture, brings it to light and makes it OK to say that you aren't OK. AND that you don't need to have it all figured out.
and Noah?!?! *fan* He was the sweetest easy going MMC that WRITES HIS D&D CHARACTER COMBING SADIE'S CHARACTER'S HAIR BECAUSE SADIE CAN'T SLEEP!!! You'll have to read it for that exclamation to make sense.

But basically thank you Dell for sending me this ARC.

I loved this. I loved the introduction to gaming and the romance was so damn sweet. So amazing,. I wil check out more from this author

Even if you're not a fan of D&D Roll For Romance is perfect for when you can't decide if you want to read a Contemporary Romance or Fantasy Romance, because the duel storylines one in the real world of the main characters and then the fantasy world of their D&D characters are both well done and fun to read.

Frist a big thanks to the publisher as well as to the author and NetGalley for the invite to read Roll for Romance , and I'm so glad that I said yes because I enjoyed it from start to finish.
What I loved
Beautiful cover
Small town romance
Characters that you fall in love with
The dual storylines
The small town setting as well as the d&d setting
This story will make you smile.

A fun dual story split between a newbie D&D campaign and one of the players. Sadie is staying Roth long time best friend Liam in TX as she figures out what to do next. Liam brings together a few people and begins the campaign as DM. I enjoyed the story very much. While we follow the campaign, there is no game play, just the campaign as a secondary narrative.

This book is very cute, especially if you are into D&D. I did have a hard time with keeping the storylines seperate. I felt like we barely got introductions to the game characters.

Set in Heller, Texas, a small town near Austin, Sadie spends the summer with her best friend Liam after losing her job. She joins his weekly D&D group for beginners, meeting new in town Noah. Having never had the chance to play D&D, I really enjoyed the D&D storyline! I learned a ton about the game and hope to get the chance to play myself. I also loved seeing Loren and Jaylie's interactions as part of Noah and Sadie's love story!

🎲 Slow burn
🎲 Marketing / artist heroine
🎲 Golden retriever bartender hero
🎲 Small town charm (including Alchemist Brewing and Bluebonnet Books)
🎲 Found family
🎲 Identity and burnout
🎲 Low stress, fun read

4.5 / 5 stars

Open door / spicy

Thanks to Netgalley and Megan Whalen of Penguin Random House for this eARC!

🎲✨ Roll for Romance ✨🎲

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (Nat 20 on the romance roll!)

If you love small town charm, nerdy romance, and a sweet bard who can strum his way right into your heart, Roll for Romance is an absolute must read!

When Sadie Brooks’ life takes an unexpected turn, she retreats to Texas, where a D&D campaign with her best friend becomes the perfect distraction. Enter Noah Walker, the charismatic bartender turned adventurous bard, who is just as charming in real life as his in game persona. As their characters fall for each other in the game, the real world tension builds, and let me tell you—the chemistry is 🔥🔥🔥.

This book is THE perfect blend of romance, found family, and the magic of storytelling. Sadie’s journey is heartfelt and relatable, and Noah? Certified Book Boyfriend Material™. But will she follow her career back to NYC, or stay and take a chance on love? I absolutely loved this book and I think you will too!

If you love:
🎲 Dungeons & Dragons vibes
💕 Slow burn tension with all the flirty banter
🏡 Small town romance with big heart
🎶 A bard who steals hearts AND sings? PERFECTION

Thank you to NetGalley, Lenora Woods, and Dell for the eARC of this book.