This book is so good! This book uniquely intertwines the life of Sadie as she loses her job and takes some well deserved time away and Jaylie as she takes on an adventure with the rest of her d&d party.
It was wonderfully written and I loved every minute of it! Sadie and her friends were so relatable. So good!!

D&D and romance- two of my favorite things! I enjoyed this read, especially as a D&D player that also went through some really hard times and started to find herself again through this game. I look forward to more from this author!

What I liked: I thoroughly enjoyed the mixing of the real world and the D&D party’s world. I thought it was extremely creative to narratively explore the game being played by the characters instead of summarizing or describing what the players did. It was a subplot, really, and it enhanced the relationship building between all the characters in their real world.

I also enjoyed the slower build of the romance. It wasn’t insta love or even really insta- interested and that was refreshing. It was a more realistic romance build.

What I think could use improvement: I felt like at times some things that I would’ve wanted more details or description of were glossed over while other things that weren’t of importance at all were described in great detail (looking at you, hiking scene). I felt like a touch more editing could’ve been done in a few parts.

Overall I enjoyed this read and I truly do look forward to more from Woods!

A fun romance read with a twist. I loved the mix of story and DnD characters, it was well balanced and as interesting as Sadie and Noah's story. This is for you if you love slow burn romance, small town, and found family tropes.

The switching between the dnd game and real life really took me out of the book and made it hard to be invested in either plot. We also dove right into the dnd plot without real introduction to our characters and side characters so that also made me feel lost. The main characters story just felt a bit cringy to me and I wasn’t really rooting for anyone. The romance had no chemistry.

When Sadie goes to spend the summer with her good friend she gets to finally play his dnd game.
Can she tame a wild bards heart and keep him in ons spot

This was a really adorable book. I loved how both the story and the D&D game tied in together. It was an interesting way to do it and I was interested to see what was going to happen next the whole time.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This was a fun read! I was excited to receive an eARC of this book because the premise is so stinkin' cute and nerdy. I really related to the main female character, Sadie, who is at a crossroads in her life. and spending the summer with her best friend Liam to reset before she goes back to New York City. To throw a wrench in her plans, she meets the hunky, free-roaming bartender Noah when Liam introduces them to each other in a Dungeons & Dragons game he's put together for new players. The book follows their growing connection at the D&D table and in-person over the course of a hot summer in Texas.

**I don't think this review includes any spoilers that aren't already alluded to in the blurb for the book.**

The format of this book is definitely unique. I've not read anything else where I've gotten both a contemporary romance and a LitRPG in one. Roll for Romance is basically two books in one, bouncing between the first-person POV of Sadie and then third-person sections that cover the D&D campaign. I admire that Woods really reached for the stars setting it up this way to give us both the budding romance between Sadie and Noah and how it translated to a budding romance between their characters Jaylie and Loren in the D&D game. Chicken or the egg? Was the in-person romance there first or did their characters' romantic involvement in the game influence the in-person one? We may never know....

Unfortunately, for me, I feel like this format did leave the Sadie/Noah romance a little lacking, and at times I felt more invested in the romance between their RPG characters Jaylie/Loren. I loved getting the story of what was happening during their D&D game, the story inside the story, but sometimes I wanted more of a break from the D&D story with a jump back into the in-person setting around the table with Sadie/Noah stealing glances across the table or Sadie getting butterflies when Noah's character expressed interest in her character, wondering if it would translate to Noah having interest in her. Or the anticipation of having to make a decision and rolling badly and not being able to make that decision, especially when it came to decisions relating to Jaylie/Loren. I was expecting more of them playing the game instead of being dropped into a fantasy story without any of the reasons for why things happened the way they did in the campaign. Again, I really appreciate the uniqueness and the effort put into doing something different here, but I just wanted more sparks from the Sadie/Noah side of things throughout, especially during the campaign itself, and getting so much of the campaign story took away from time for that.

Spice wise, there is an open-door sex scene in the book and some other flirty/foreplay-ish scenes, but it's not overly gratuitous. I think it was a good, natural progression and was well-placed. There was a good bit of will they/won't they, but the stakes never felt too high between Sadie/Noah. Sadie's personal conflicts felt more dire than their relationship conflict, and I think the life/death conflict in the D&D part of the book maybe made the relationship conflict feel pretty low stakes. This isn't necessarily a criticism, because I do love cozy vibes where books are enjoyable without putting characters through the ringer, but with technology as it is and Noah being a free-roamer, the prospect of getting into a relationship with someone knowing it may end up long distance didn't feel like enough to keep them apart.

It was a well-written book and I've never read anything like it, so I've given it 4 stars, but couldn't quite go for the 5, just because I found myself more invested in the D&D plot line than the in-person plot line. I just had to know what was going to happen next for Jaylie and Loren, when I feel like I should've been more invested in Sadie and Noah.

All this said, I did enjoy reading it. If you like D&D, I it's worth the read and would recommend it for fans of fantasy and romance, or if you're just looking for something a little different than your regular contemporary romance.

Thank you to Lenora Woods, NetGalley and Dell/Random House for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I came into this with zero understanding of Dungeons and Dragons and still found it highly entertaining! I enjoyed the switching between reality and imaginary and how closely the D&D characters soon began to blend with reality.
Sadie is essentially trying to find herself and what fills her cup so to speak. After losing her high profile job in New York City, her best friend since childhood comes to collect her and bring her to his home in Heller, Texas.
Liam is the best friend everyone dreams of. He's kind, supportive, but still knows when to push her to be her best.
Noel is a wanderer, new to the area, and ruggedly handsome. He's almost too good to be true and Sadie couldn't be more lucky.
These are just three in the cast that makes up this friend group and D&D campaign.
Sadie's path of self discovery was thoughtfully done as well as the romance development between her and Noel. There wasn't any insta-love or too soon declarations. It was handled more realistically and gradually, which after reading many, many romance stories, I appreciate!
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the opportunity to read this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It was really fun mix of the fantasy D&D game with the romance storyline. You don’t need to know anything about D&D to get into this book. And if anything, it made D&D more appealing to me. Although I am still not going to play it with my husband. I really loved the romance. Noah is a cinnamon roll through and through, which I loved. And while I loved the romance between Noah and Sadie, I will admit that the book felt like it was lacking in something. Maybe the conflict wasn’t enough for me, or the grand romantic gesture wasn’t enough. Either way, I do recommend this book! I had a really good time readying it.

Tropes:
-slow burn
-found family
-small town vs big city
-friends to lovers
-cinnamon roll MMC

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods was a critical hit for me! Nat 20- Five stars! 🔮✨

If you love romance, D&D, witty banter, and some slight spice, then this is the book!

Sadie recently lost her big girl NYC job and has relocated to Texas to stay with her best friend and get her life together. To get her mind off things, she agrees to join her friends D&D campaign.

There, she meets another Texas transplant, Noah. The rugged ginger mountain man that works at a local microbrewery.

The book alternates between the budding romance between Sadie and Noah and their characters budding romance in their D&D campaign.

I ate this up. It was so cute- it had me kicking my feet and giggling. I would have liked more spice, but that doesn’t take away from how good this book was. I can’t wait to get a physical copy and lend it to all of my D&D loving friends.

Overall, I did think that this was a great book. For me, I felt that the transition between D&D role-playing and real life Noah and Sadie needed a little bit more of a true transition. I also felt that there was a little bit of Insta love between the two however, I like Kelly developed as a couple. I will say that the overall ending that was the ultimate type of happy ever after was a little bit rushed, and also a little bit inconsistent with the character development. If you enjoy books that give you an escape or like dual plots that mirror one another and provide development such as gameplay you will love this one.

📣 open communication, great writing, & a hero with some softness to his torso 🙌🏻

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

📖 what’s the weather like where you are? We have a tornado watch (& had a warning) & spent some time in a pantry tonight. Hoping things go smoothly tonight for all of us!

Before reading Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods, I was totally wrong about what people actually did during Dungeons & Dragons 😳.

This book not only gave me an education, it also uses D&D to bring together Sadie & Noah, both of whom are temporarily living in the same town. Sadie’s at loose ends in her work-life & Noah is a free spirit who bounces from place to place.

While I didn’t know what D&D was before this book, the author uses it in such a cool way. Most of the book is contemporary, but then, as the characters become engrossed in their game, a fantasy-ish story briefly takes over. Two for the price of one 🙌🏻.

Roll for Romance builds on the contemporary & fantasy plots to draw interest, & it also focuses on the friendships that the leads make within their D&D group. Coming in hot with strong communication & a hot hero with a relatable bod, this romance is firing on all levels.

5 ⭐️, out 07/15.

Please see a trusted reviewer’s list of CWs.

[ID: Jess holds the book in front of a yellow daffodil & purple-blue hyacinths.]

For starters, I do not know the first thing about D & D but, it was starting to grow on me and the storylines alike. The way they ended every session with a cliffhanger had me wanting more for the next session they had. Yes, I get it we are here for the romance as well, that worked perfectly around the session play. Noah and Sadie got to loosen up and become better players that legit liked what they were becoming and the game while building a beautiful relationship together. Her decisions with life were starting to grow around him and though she didn’t say those three words you can still feel it in the actions that she had shown. I loved Noah though cause he took the time out to remember the little things and that’s what made this a cute romance.

Y’all this book was a nat 20 for me! I am a huge DnD nerd who has just started getting into more contemporary romance books (instead of reading fantasy all the time). I loved this! The first line took me instantly back to when my friends invited me to play for the first time and I was gifted my first set of dice (it’s truly tradition). This book perfectly captures the emotions of playing a campaign for the first time - the way you get swept up into the story, the urge to keep playing for another hour, and the incorporation of DnD outside of sessions - roleplaying with other players over chat, art, creating minis, baking and more! I liked the parallel writing styles where you get their campaign perspective as they become immersed and Sadie’s reality chapters. When burnout hits, it hits hard - and this was the first time I have seen burnout portrayed in a romance novel. The agonizing panic of having to go back, the abject terror of failing at something so abstract - Sadie goes through these panic moments and learns to slowly let go. It was admirable to read about and personally helped me take my own deep breath and put things into perspective. The romance - I surprised myself by liking how this started. I am usually an enemies to lovers kind of person but this was soft, sweet, and built gradually - like the warmth you feel after drinking a tall glass of mead at a local ren faire. I loved how this book embraced nerd culture unapologetically but also showed others getting into these hobbies to celebrate and enjoy them. Cannot wait to read more from this author and it got me so ready to play in my next campaign. Huge shoutout to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book! This review is entirely my own thoughts and opinions but I cannot wait to share them on Goodreads and Barnes&Nobles so others can know my excitement! Looking forward to July 15 when I can get a physical copy! Happy reading and may luck be on your side (especially on your dice rolls)!

Roll For Romance by Lenora Woods is a charming and lighthearted read with a fun premise centered around gaming and romance. The characters are likable, and the banter is enjoyable, though some of the dialogue feels a bit forced at times. The story moves at a steady pace, but the plot can feel predictable, and the romance lacks some depth, leaving the emotional stakes a little underwhelming. While it’s not groundbreaking, it’s a pleasant escape for fans of cozy, low-stakes romances. A solid 3.5 stars (rounded up) for its entertainment value and sweet moments.

Thank you NetGalley and Publishers for the ARC.

This is such a great book when it comes to romance and portraying an accurate game zero through the end of a campaign in D&D. Characters are all unique and provide something detrimental to plot growth. My only suggestion is to have the switching back and forth between real life and in the campaign to be transitioned better whether it be italicized or a transitional sentence. Would I read this again? Absolutely. Do I want a sequel? Heck yes. Still a solid 10/10 for me regarding plot, accuracy to D&D, and character development.

“𝓛𝓾𝓬𝓴 𝓲𝓼 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓴𝓮𝓻𝓼, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓪𝓭𝓿𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓮𝓻𝓼, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓼 & 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓻𝓼.”

ℝ𝕠𝕝𝕝 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕣𝕠𝕞𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕒𝕣𝕔 𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 ✨

𝓐𝓾𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓻: Lenora Woods
𝓖𝓮𝓷𝓻𝓮: Romance/Some Fantasy
𝓣𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼: D&D Campaign, Found Family, Pining/lots of Flirting, Burnout, Golden Retriever MMC, Small Town

🗡️𝓡𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰: 4/5 ✨

🗡️𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓪𝓰𝓲𝓬: Lenora definitely rolled with advantage on this one, such a lovely adventure filled with romance & magic. I was so shocked & honored to see this arc pop up in my email, I hadn’t even heard of it yet but was immediately so excited to start it! This book is so cute! I absolutely loved having both sides of this story since you got to go through the characters’ D&D Campaign as well as the regular story. Having a mix of reality & fantasy was so fun & kept me so invested & excited to see their campaign through while watching their character development. The subject of burnout is big in this, it was so relatable & really honored the struggle of finding yourself & your joy again. The characters were fun & easy to love, Noah is a big softy but boy does that man have game!!! Sadie is super relatable & it was wonderful to watch her find herself & her confidence again. Overall this was such an easy & enjoyable read that I always found myself excited to pick up.

🗡️𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓜𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓪𝓷𝓮: Ok I won’t lie the only thing about this book I didn’t love was Noah using a bike as his main mode of transport - fine & dandy for yourself, little weird for dates & valiantly “driving” drunk ladies home. I don’t believe for a moment she would have made it home standing on the back pegs the whole ride after drinking a lot without ending up on the pavement. 😂😂 But if that’s the only issue I have with a book I will take it.

oh my heart. my whole entire heart. this book!!!! sadie, i would love to be your best friend. noah, i would love to be more than friends. i felt like lenora woods stole my therapist’s computer and wrote this novel for me, about me? sadie getting fired because of overwhelming burnout? check. being forced to slow down and reconsider her “life plan”? check. being really into nerdy things and falling for the big, charming, loud, handsome guy? check and check. i felt so seen by this book, and it was so easy to get lost in the story. i haven’t thought about much else over the past few days. i loved how sadie had space to figure out what she actually wanted on her own, and how noah knew how to help ground her when she was thinking overtime. i also am so enamored with how we got to see sadie’s story unfold, while also being part of her d&d campaign!! the campaign blended in seamlessly with the main story, and i found myself anticipating both points of view. i highly recommend this book if you like d&d, if you think you might like d&d, or just want to try something a little new!!! all of my thanks to ballantine books and random house for consistently providing me with ARCS that are absolute gems. read this book when it comes out in july!!!

This book was such a fun read! I’ll admit that it took me a chapter or two to figure out who is who, but that is mostly because I have no idea at all about how D&D works. Once I caught on to which character was which player, the story just flew by. I love the romance, how easily all of the characters just meshed, the genuinely healthy and loving friend group. I mean, can we have more of that? Art was interwoven throughout the story so masterfully that you would think the author was an artist herself. This book was just pure romantic fun. It’s a must read for gamers, for nerds, for romantics, for anti-romantics, and for literally everyone in between.

This book was a solid three out of five for me, I enjoyed the setting and the inner conflict of the main character. I was initially skeptical about how a D&D romance would work but it added a lot of aspects of like self confidence and community through playing the characters.

I do have a few things I didn't enjoy as much, first of all being that I didn't think they were flirting up until the first half of the book I thought they were just being friendly. I knew they would end up together but I wasn't seeing the romance aspect until 48% of the way through.

I personally, while I enjoyed it at times, think the D&D gameplay scenes could use some work, it was hard to differentiate the characters from their game characters and get immersed into the world because it felt like there weren't enough like emphasis about the fantasy aspects? But that's a bit nitpicky because it's a game so idk.

I personally thought the writing style was strange at times and it pulled me out of the narrative. It felt like while the book was an adult romance, it was trying to hit the marks that make a romcom while under a YA lense. I felt like a lot of the scenes if you told me that was a teenager I would believe it because I didn't feel like they acted like regular adults (not taking about a lack of spicy scenes just in the mannerisms and conversations) not in the sense of playing the game but just in the way they talked and stuff? I just feel like until 48% of the way through the didn't hit any of the more common beats you see in adult romances and it made it hard to get invested.

I think the side characters could use some development. I liked them but I feel like I don't know them enough to be like yes this fictional character could be real.

Again, it was definitely cute but it just took me awhile to get there for the reasons mentioned above. Glad I tried something new, it was a fun palette cleanser and they were cute when they got together!