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Roll for Romance

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Two fledgling tabletop gamers find themselves falling for each other—both in and out of their weekly D&D sessions—in this charming, fantasy-tinged romance.

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.

368 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2025

295 people are currently reading
19279 people want to read

About the author

Lenora Woods

3 books148 followers

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5 stars
648 (21%)
4 stars
1,314 (44%)
3 stars
799 (26%)
2 stars
172 (5%)
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34 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,337 reviews
Profile Image for ✨Julie✨.
801 reviews1,732 followers
dnf
August 17, 2025
DNF at 31% This book is trying too hard to create a cozy found family atmosphere and I’m just not feeling it. I have zero interest in the FMC or the romance and the D&D portions are distracting and keep pulling me out of the story. It’s literally a completely different fictional storyline running parallel to the real one. This was a fun idea, but unfortunately it didn’t work for me.

✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼  ҉  ✼

Pre-read: I’ve never played D&D, but this cover is calling to me. Here’s to a slow Saturday. Hope you’re having a relaxing day! 💖🐉✨
Profile Image for naz .
450 reviews925 followers
August 7, 2025
I know some readers will adore this book, but sadly, it just wasn’t for me.

As someone who genuinely enjoys (and even plays) online games, I was initially excited by the “create your character” concept. But the way the romance unfolded through flirty moments and even kissing while in a D&D game first rather than in person... crossed a line for me.

ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ɪ ʟɪᴋᴇᴅ:
- the storyline outside the D&D gameplay was engaging. I loved how Sadie (our FMC) needed a break from everything and took a chance on a summer in a new place.
- Noah (our MMC) had golden retriever energy and was such a gamer boy, love it!

The overall plot had promise, but I felt it dragged at times due to the D&D portions. I expected references or a few game sessions. Instead we got an entire fantasy world that overtook the story in my opinion. ALSO one point, Sadie’s character kisses Noah’s during D&D, in front of a group of five other players and that completely turned me off.

The romance also felt flat to me. I usually love when characters have that undeniable spark, but I didn’t feel as much chemistry between them as I wanted while reading.

I can absolutely see why people might enjoy the blend of real-world and a fantasy game, especially if they love D&D or any game similar. But for me, roleplaying games are about escaping into a quest and having fun not navigating romance in a room full of other players. That part just didn’t click GUYS!!!

⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
their fictional D&D characters kissed first before they did in irl... nope not for me

⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
➳ 𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱。ꪆৎ ˚⋅ my next audiobook that is doubling for me reading an arc hehe im a low key nerd for D&D so let's see how this one goes!!! 🤞 🤞 🤞
Profile Image for Zoë.
835 reviews1,828 followers
January 12, 2026
I give them five months
Profile Image for Eleanor .
397 reviews819 followers
July 18, 2025
After losing her corporate job in New York, Sadie's best friend convinces her to stay with him in Texas for the summer. Instead of moping around like she plans, Sadie decides to join a D&D campaign for the first time with all new friends. As the game unfolds, Sadie and another player, Noah, find their characters falling for each other, while outside of the game they do the same thing.

This was such a cute and unique romance! I loved the D&D elements, the roleplaying fantasy was so fun and the perfect balance to the otherwise simple plot. Noah and Sadie were so cute together, I loved how their instant friendship blossomed into more as they got to know each other through the game and outside. The two just had such a good vibe going, and I loved how they communicated through all their hurdles. This debut romance was magical, heartwarming, and full of charm. Lenora Woods did a fantastic job blending nerdy fun with flirty banter and slow-building heat; and I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Read if you like:
🤍Found Family🤍
🤍Small Town🤍
🤍Story within a Story🤍
🤍Slow Burn🤍
🤍Friends to Lovers🤍

~Many thanks to Dell for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
Profile Image for kendall.
324 reviews118 followers
February 7, 2025
4 stars!

This was an incredibly unique story! I can honestly say I've never read anything like it. The way Woods' seamlessly creates two worlds within this romance was so cool to read.
The story follows our FMC, Sadie, who was recently fired from her big-time New York job and is now taking a break in a small town in Texas. She is staying with her best friend, Liam, who's only stipulation was that she has to play DND with him. He gets together a small group of people and they create a storyline that is told simultaneously along with the real-life parts of the book. I have never seen a story told like that!! It was so interesting. I loved the group, they felt very warm and real. It definitely had a found family aspect.
Noah, our MMC, is one of the other players in their DND group. He is a free spirit, unbound by the things that worry Sadie. Throughout the story she navigates burnout, and he helps her come back to who she used to be. She rediscovers her love for art, doing a mural for a brewery owned by Noah's best friend. (The brewery was also very unique and cute!)
The romance was very sweet and I loved how they found themselves within each other. They both finally found somewhere worth staying. I also quite liked how this was a very realistic romance. There was nothing dramatic or fantastical in this, it was a real romance that could happen to anyone.

Unfortunately, the first 60% of this book was very slow for me. I found the pacing quite odd. I didn't feel as connected to some of the characters as I would have liked to, even though on paper they're characters I love. I saw their potential but wasn't impacted emotionally. I almost liked their fantasy characters more than I liked the actual people.
That being said if this author decides to continue this story with one of the other characters, I would definitely read it! Especially given the cliffhanger in their DND world.

I was provided a free digital e-arc of this in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts are my own.

━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━◦○◦━

getting caught up on my arc reads! i am wholeheartedly obsessed with this cover. i love nerds!!!!!!!
Profile Image for Krystal.
798 reviews168 followers
June 16, 2025
Roll for reverie❣️

A cool concept of simultaneous storytelling bringing a real time romance alongside fantasy interludes of Dungeons and Dragons game play. If you're looking for low stakes cuteness that still has a serious side with a struggling protagonist this might be just the vibe you're looking for.

🎲🔮🔮🔮🐉🐉🐉⚔️⚔️⚔️

Sadie has lost her job due to burnout so bad she couldn't face showing up or communicating with co-workers. Before finding herself saddled with another soul sucking job she agrees to visit her bestie Liam in Texas. Liam has been trying to talk her into giving D&D a chance and this time she decides to give it a try. What can one game change? I thought it was interesting to see Sadie try on different personas throughout the book there's Sadie her true self, Jaylie her gaming character who is a healer, and Josephine her serious professional persona. It made me ponder how many hats we wear in life.
🍺🍺🍺🎨🎨🎨✨✨✨🎲
Noah the love interest works at a local brewery and bar. He's a free spirit often living on the go right out of his van. He's an adventure awaits just around the next bend type of guy. He's also a first time D&D player. His character in the game is a bard which I thought was wonderful as the author avoided a stereotypical male gaming character that would be perfection personified. It was great that he had to rely on a different skillset in the fantasy portions to survive than brawn. It showed he had many dimensions both in and out of the game because in real life Noah's ticking ALL THE BOXES.
🎲🖤🖤🖤🧙🏻‍♂️🧙🏻‍♂️🧙🏻‍♂️🪄🪄🪄
I enjoyed that the author took readers inside the game to show how the characters scrambled to stay on task and alive. The other players were from different walks of life and their D&D characters were a great chance for them to walk on the wild side. I loved that the players were trying on different personalities through the game. As a couple these two are great supporting what's best for each other and never throwing pick me energy around.
🧝🏻🧝🏻🧝🏻🧌🧌🧌🧙🏻🧙🏻🧙🏻🎲
Entertaining with a dose of whimsy! An effervescent escape from the mundane.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Thank you to Random House | Ballantine for providing an eARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Profile Image for Noi (in & out) .
946 reviews556 followers
July 27, 2025
"... I want to be the first thing you see when you open your eyes. Every time. I want to be the one to rescue you when you fall—just like you do for me, after every battle. I want to be the last sound you hear before you fall asleep at night. I don’t just want my songs to get stuck in your head. I want you to be the reason I write them.”

I really should have highlighted more, but I was just having fun with this one ;)
Profile Image for Lyss ꨄ.
272 reviews
March 1, 2025
⋆✴︎˚。⋆ 𝟒.𝟓 ⇾

𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘺
Sadie is completely burned out from corporate work and at a crossroads in life, but her luck soon changes when she moves from NYC to a small town in Texas and joins her best friend's D&D campaign. Sadie is unsure of many things, but as her relationship with Noah unfolds, she slowly realizes she has to choose between a gloomy familiarity or exciting uncharted territory.

𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 & 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴
I took my sweet time reading this because I was really enjoying it and simply did not want it to end. This story intertwines the real-life romance between Sadie and Noah and the fantastical romance between their D&D characters, Jaylie and Loren.

This was such a sweet and wholesome romance, and I think the author did a great job of balancing both the reality and fantasy storylines, as they were both so engaging. Noah was such a cinnamon roll hero; he was so gentle and always eased her worries, making sure to give Sadie the support she needed, and it was so cute.

Lastly, as a D&D lover, I just want to say don't let the Dungeons and Dragons subplot deter you away from this book. The best way I can explain the D&D portion is like reading an immersive, ongoing romantic fantasy novella within the story.

P.S. Do yourself a favor and sprint to the author's Instagram; the book art is immaculate!

𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘳𝘦
🎲 contemporary romance

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴
💜 slow burn
🎲 small town
💜 found family
🎲 friends to lovers
💜 cinnamon roll hero

Thank you, Netgalley and Random House Publishing—Ballantine, for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review! :)
Profile Image for Cozy Puppy Reads.
117 reviews33 followers
November 8, 2025
Roll for Romance was such a fun, nerdy romcom and an absolute treat! I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The amusing banter and lovable characters kept me smiling all the way through, even though I'll be honest, I don't really know anything about Dungeons & Dragons (the main character didn't know, either!). I grew up on fantasy like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, and I enjoyed this romance even without the D&D knowledge. It's a pretty light, uplifting romcom. I was swept up in the adventure anyway—it was a blast!

One of the standout elements for me was the dual timeline, the writer included present-day chapters and other chapters focusing on the D&D adventure. It was fun and unique; it almost felt like getting two separate books in one!

Beyond the laughs and the dice rolls, I deeply appreciated the book's heart. It beautifully tackles the themes of overcoming burnout and rediscovering joy and passion for art and creative pursuits that can get pushed aside after years spent in the working world.

The characters were super endearing, and Lenora Woods has a wonderful way of bringing the scenes to life. I literally wish I could visit their local bookstore!

Audiobook Note 🎧
I listened to the audiobook, and it was a super fun listen! The narrator was very clear, even with different accents, and I was able to comfortably follow along even at an increased speed.

I was looking for a light romcom that didn't involve any crazy drama (no cheating, third act breakup, ex returning, stupid miscommunication, weird stuff) and this did not disappoint! I thought it was a delight and I would love to read more from this author!

Read if you love:
❤️ Contemporary romcoms with spice
🗡 Romantasy
💛 Fantasy/Sci-Fi fandoms (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars)
✨️ Small-town charm (especially as an antidote to corporate big-city hell)
💖 Overcoming burnout & rediscovering your love for art
💛 Out on a Limb by Hannah Bonam-Young
🩵 Female Fantasy by Iman Hirari
🤯 No annoying miscommunication (no third act breakup! ❤️)
Profile Image for jenny reads a lot.
724 reviews925 followers
November 17, 2025
Roll for Romance feels like a contemporary romance and fantasy romance double feature all rolled into a single book

Not only do you get to see Sadie and Noah fall in love via their real-life interactions but you’re also thrust into the D&D story where you see their characters flirt and interact as well. It makes for a unique experience.

What’s to love…
- nerdy romance and plenty of D&D
- healthy communication
- cinnamon roll MMC
- Red-haired MMC (we need more of these)
- small-town Texas setting
- Story within a story
- self-discovery/self-love journey
- Slow-burn
- found family

What didn’t work for me…
- What didn’t work for me is probably going to be the reason so many people absolutely LOVE this book. I am not a huge story within a story fan, so this was hard for me to get into. Each story is so well done and I would gladly read more from this author! Actually, I’d LOVE a cozy romantasy from this author, the world she creates with the game-play is lush and her writing style is easy to fall in love with.

Thank you NetGalley and Dell for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

3.5⭐️| IG | TikTok |
Profile Image for Jono Mitchell.
230 reviews899 followers
August 20, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ // Roll for Romance is cute, fun, and a perfectly inoffensive little romcom. That said, it’s definitely going to appeal most to people already in the Dungeons & Dragons world. It’s heavy on the technical side, and there are moments where it leans so hard into D&D references and lingo that it starts to feel a little forced or even cringe.

The characters constantly remind you that D&D is the reason they know each other, to the point that it sometimes overshadows the actual romance. The book does touch on some heavier, very relatable themes toward the end (which tugged on my heartstrings), but overall it stays on the surface emotionally.

That said… the campaign chapters, where Lenora Woods fully explores the fantasy world they’re playing, are the absolute highlight. If anything, those made me want to see her write a romantic fantasy, because I’d pick that up in a heartbeat.
Profile Image for mackenzie (hiatus).
316 reviews294 followers
April 14, 2025
this was fine just not really my thing!! would absolutely recommend. love the cover first of all, but also really enjoyed the healthy communication between the characters and also the incorporation of side characters. it had banter and fun and was so bingeable and is overall a fun idea for a book, i just don't think i'm really the target audience here.

thank you to netgalley & random house publishing for the arc! all opinions are my own <3
Profile Image for DianaRose.
931 reviews208 followers
Read
April 19, 2025
firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

unfortunately, dnf’d @30%

i’m not sure why i keep reading gaming inspired/esque romcoms because they continue to disappoint me, which is disappointing for me because i love games of all kinds.

i think for this specific book, the vibes were terribly off, and the writing — and especially the dialogue between our fmc and mmc — was extremely cringey for me at least.

i’m sure this book will find its audience but it’s not me
Profile Image for bailey (bibliophilebailey).
80 reviews6 followers
May 6, 2025
4🌟

I enjoyed this book so greatly! As a D&D and Romance nerd, this book was everything I could have asked for.

The way this book was written was so incredibly unique. Instead of the characters roleplaying as their D&D characters, we get thrown into these fantasy chapters where we get the POV of the FMC's D&D character! I loved this concept so much, while I feel it could be a turn-off for some readers, it was a pleasant surprise for me. This book is going to be a must-read for Summer time, it reminds me of being a teenager and romanticizing a summer fling/vacation.

All of the characters were so likable, Sadie and Noah's romance was believable and well-done for a shorter period of time. I got giddy anytime they touched, and wish I could read more about them.
Honorable mention for the spice, Chapter 27 - we love you! Honorable mention part 2 for Sadie's "tent" joke. You are hilarious girl! By the end of this book, I was screaming for Sadie to just stay and genuinely couldn't tell where the story was going to end off (thank god it ended the way it did lol). I fear I may need a physical copy when this book is published to this world.

Thank you Lenora Woods, Dell, and NetGalley for this e-arc! It was magical! ✨💜🍃
Profile Image for Nafisa King.
71 reviews
July 16, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Roll for Romance by Lenora Woods is a cozy, heartfelt contemporary romance infused with just the right amount of Dungeons & Dragons flair. . It follows Sadie, a burnt-out marketing professional who heads to a small Texas town for a much-needed reset. There, she reconnects with her childhood best friend and meets NOAH, the charming bartender who steps in as their reluctant bard.

I’ve never played DnD a day in my life, but I still found the gaming elements easy to follow. The story alternates between the characters’ real lives and their in-game personas, and I appreciated how those worlds mirrored each other thematically. The found family dynamic was sweet, and the love story itself had genuine charm and warmth.

Pacing-wise, there were moments where the momentum lagged a bit for me. While the story is sweet and charming, it didn’t fully hold my attention from beginning to end. That said, I think this may be one of those books I return to and appreciate more on a reread…similar to my experience with Elsie Silver’s work.

One thing I have to highlight: the cover is absolutely GORGEOUS and was what drew me in. Just looking at it brings me joy. After securing my copy today, I can proudly say it is just as bright and wonderful in person. If you’re a fan of small-town romances, light fantasy elements, or character-driven stories… ding, ding, DING.
Profile Image for Anna (annareadit).
194 reviews39 followers
Read
July 4, 2025
Unfortunately, the book didn't resonate with me, and it's not about the quality of the writing, but rather the lack of connection with the story. I'm not familiar with D&D and have never played.

In my opinion, the book might appeal to those already familiar with D&D, but for me, it was too much information.

Thank you to Dell and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Mallory Marlowe.
Author 3 books907 followers
January 6, 2025
Roll for Romance lands a critical hit! This swoony and nerdy romance had me kicking my feet and blushing the entire time. Sadie and Noah's real life and in-game romance is full of charm, healthy communication, and genuine friendship. This book is such a beautiful love letter to all things fandom, nerd culture, and gaming.
Profile Image for monica ✨ romantasyreader.
769 reviews1,195 followers
July 8, 2025
This was incredibly nerdy and cute!

Sadie is down on her luck after losing her job so she moves in with her best friend for the summer, who happens to be a seasoned DND game master. When he sets up a new campaign, Sadie starts finding herself falling for Noah, both in the game and in real life.

I thought the premise of this book was so refreshing. I loved that we got the DND campaign and the irl storyline. I happened to find myself a bit more interested in the campaign (who knows what that says about me). The will they/won’t they friends to lovers arc between Sadie and Noah felt a bit too drawn out for me and I found myself a bit bored in points. Overall, though, this was such a cute read and I can’t wait to see what Lenora writes next!!

Thank you Dell for the gifted arc!
Profile Image for Danielle (yelli3_reads).
180 reviews58 followers
July 22, 2025
I absolutely loved the combination of a the real life romance story mixed in with the fantasy elements of their D&D campaign!

what didn’t work for me:

- Abrupt changes into their D&D campaign sometimes threw me off.
- Parts of the story were pretty slow and weren’t pulling me in.
- I wanted to love all the side characters because they all seem really cool but didn’t get to know any of them, needed more development with their stories (unless we’re getting more books!?)
- Now the hard part, this MMC just wasn’t doing it for me. He’s very cinnamon roll, which can be cute, but not for me. And I felt like these two didn’t have any chemistry through the entire book.

This was a single POV book/one narrator for the entire book. Which I think does this story a disservice. I think getting some of his POV might’ve helped me feel more chemistry between the two MCs.

The narrator did a good job! She does great with the regular FMC POV. She does a nice job through the D&D campaign doing the different voices for their characters!!

Overall, it’s like a cute contemporary romance book, but I wanted more romance elements and more chemistry between the characters.
Profile Image for Emily.
65 reviews9 followers
April 27, 2025
I rarely leave written reviews or rate any book below 3 stars, but this book was so disappointing I had to. I chose it honestly based on the beautiful cover and the D&D aspect. I really wanted to love it. I loved reading Dungeons and Drama and was hoping this book would be a more adult version of that book.
But It felt like this was a second book a series, not the first.
The story jumps right into this group of friends playing D&D, it doesn’t explain who is who or anyone or their character’s backstories. So I found it really hard to like or feel anything for the characters besides confusion and the desire for them to all get offed in game so the book would be over. Reading the game scenes through the characters eyes like it was actually happening was neat, even if it was for confusing how it would abruptly switch from real life to them in D&D world. This book has inspired me to actually start DNF-ing books from now on. There was so much potential for this to be great.
Profile Image for PATCHES.
464 reviews469 followers
August 16, 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
File it under books that made me cry. Roll For Romance is the nerdy rom-com of my dreams. Intertwined between the sweet (and sometimes steamy) love story between Noah and Sadie, is the actual D&D campaign that they're playing, essentially as a vibrant and fun parallel to the IRL story. Brilliantly, during the D&D chapters (if you know the game), you can tell the moments where there were good/bad rolls, where characters rolled for perception, and the battles (of course), even though it reads like any other fantasy book. Absolutely phenomenal, great witty/nerdy banter, definitely cried at the end of their campaign.
Profile Image for Lexie.
351 reviews137 followers
February 11, 2025
Roll for Romance follows Sadie, who, after being fired from her flashy marketing job in NYC, is having a bit of a quarter-life crisis. Floundering and directionless, she decides to spend the summer in Texas with her best friend Liam, where she winds up getting roped into joining his new D&D campaign.

Joining the game as Jaylie the Cleric, Sadie meets a group of fellow tabletop newbies - including teacher Jules (playing a teifling barbarian), bookseller Morgan (dwarf rogue), and brewer Noah (a very flirty elf bard). As the party sets off on their adventure, Sadie begins to take some inspiration from the game and embrace the idea that it might be time to make a little of her own luck for once.

A charming combination of found family and role-playing-flirtiness-turned-real-life-romance, this book was the perfect recipe for some very nerdy warm fuzzies! Sadie and Noah's romance was incredibly cute, and I appreciate that they actually communicated about their feelings and reservations about the future. It was a really refreshing break from the third-act fight that tends to plague romance novels. They had obstacles to overcome for sure, but they were never at odds with one another.

I also really enjoyed seeing the narrative of the campaign play out from the characters' perspectives. Switching back and forth between the real life plot and the game plot was a great way to see why Sadie fell so in love with D&D (and Noah) and how she was able to apply some of the lessons she learned to her own life.

I have been patiently waiting for an adult D&D romance ever since I read and loved the YA Dungeons & Drama, and I'm so happy that it's finally here! I genuinely hope this is the start of a new trend in romance because I absolutely eat these up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC!
Profile Image for Evelyn.
76 reviews2 followers
March 18, 2025
Unfortunately, I have to give this book two stars. I DNFed it about half way thru. I was beyond excited for a D&D love story and to be chosen to read it as an arc.
However, my issues with the book are as follows:
1) Jumping RIGHT into the magical world without even meeting the table top players. I had no idea who was who and I felt no sense of attachment to the players, which is what makes D&D so fun watch and play.
2) The pacing is… off. It’s fast and quick and then it jumps in and out of magical world with no real indicator it’s about to happen. But then, it has moments that drag and I found myself struggling to keep my attention on the book.
3) Since the pacing was off, I found it really hard to connect to anyone. I wanted to root for our FMC, Sadie, but I simply felt like an outlier looking in.

I do want to thank NetGalley & Random House for the arc. These thoughts and opinions are all my own.
Profile Image for Julia.
264 reviews10 followers
June 23, 2025
As a debut cozy romance this is the perfect book to sit down with in your comfy chair with a cup of coffee on a Saturday morning.

The vibes:
Small town Texas
Brewery
D&D adventure
Camping, Bookshops, Coffee
Frog wizard
Cute romance

For me personally I would have liked a little more plot tension for the main characters. I wasn’t really sucked in until the last 25% of the book. However, this is a strong cozy romance. If you love cozy books and fantasy you are going to enjoy this novel. I was rooting for these two in the home stretch!

Note that a good chunk of the book is the story of their D&D game so this is a book for fantasy readers in addition to cozy romance fans. I have played my fair share of D&D and enjoyed that element of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.
Profile Image for XxTainaxX Curvy and Nerdy.
1,564 reviews507 followers
June 15, 2025
I recently started getting into tabletop games and joined a Godbound campaign. I’m having a blast! It’s similar to D&D and that, along with a long time experience as a MMORPG player, I loved the set up for this book.

The plot was a cool intermix between life in game and out of it. Sadie and Noah were really cute and their friendship and eventual romance blossomed in a way that felt organic. Liam was a hoot and I loved his unwavering support for his bestie Sadie. The in game play was well written and familiar to me. I’d love to read a full campaign from the author.

All in all an entertaining read.

Complementary copy received and voluntarily reviewed.
Profile Image for ari ⋆˚.
323 reviews16 followers
October 26, 2025
˚ ༘♡ pre-read:
╰┈➤ my 9 hours in baldurs gate 3 has prepared me for this

⋆˚࿔ Roll for Romance review 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

┆ ⤿ 💌 3 stars!

I really liked the concept of a D&D romance. After being unemployed for a while our FMC ends up joining a D&D style tabletop game, which we experience ourselves as it runs in parallel to her real-life romance with the MMC. The characters are likable and you quickly get a sense of found family between the friend group! While I initially enjoyed the D&D chapters I soon found myself eagerly awaiting for the real life chapters. The balance between the two wasn't quite even.

The real world romance felt like it moved at a completely different pacing than the fantasy world. Which can completely give the reader whiplash. The romantic chemistry between them also never quite connected. While they got along from the very beginning you never quite feel the tension between them.

。゚• ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈ ┈ ┈ ┈• 。゚

Thanks so much to Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

。゚• ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈ ┈ ┈ ┈• 。゚

⤿ follow me on instagram!
Profile Image for Brittany.
370 reviews57 followers
July 15, 2025
Happy Publication Day!

If you are looking for an adult (and slightly spicy) version of the Dungeons and Drama series or just love a mixture of romance and D&D, this is the book for you. This book was everything that I hoped it would be. I loved the dual perspective of Sadie, who is trying to figure out what is next in her life after being laid off from her career and her D&D character counterpart, Jaylie who must take down the evil sorcerer. It was fun to read the romance between Sadie and Noah's character in the campaign and outside of their weekly sessions. I was obsessed with both stories. If Lenora Woods decides to write more D&D romance stories in the future, they will be an auto-buy for me.

Roll for Romance comes out today!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for the opportunity to review Roll for Romance. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Profile Image for Kat Robbins.
865 reviews282 followers
February 6, 2025
when you know, you know.

✰ DNF, 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
Profile Image for Morgan.
448 reviews118 followers
July 6, 2025
📖 𝙍𝙤𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙍𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙗𝙮 𝙇𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙧𝙖 𝙒𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨

“𝘖𝘧𝘧 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯?” 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘺.
“𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦.”
𝘞𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳.
“𝘛𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯.”

This was really fun and unique story! The story telling & roll playing during the dnd scenes sucked me right in! I was so invested in their quest!

I really enjoyed witnessing the love story unfold inside two separate stories! The characters created for the dnd campaign were so well developed I felt like they were truly main characters in the overall plot. The other members of the dnd group were so fun and had me cracking up at their antics!

This was a slow burn romance between Sadie & Noah. They were interested in each other right from the beginning, but took their time to become friends and then something more. There is spice towards the end! 🔥

Mental health plays a roll in learning about Sadie’s story and what brought her to Texas. She’s at a crossroads in her life and just needed to get out of her head to figure out what she wanted her future to look like.

Noah was a great MMC. He was fun and charismatic, and helped Sadie step out of her comfort zone.

Overall, this is a fun story that kept me entertained, start to finish!

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
🎲 𝘥𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘭 𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺
💗 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴
🤭 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴
❤️‍🔥 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯 + 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘦
❤️‍🩹 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘙𝘦𝘱
🫶🏼 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺
Profile Image for Monet Daffodil.
804 reviews173 followers
December 4, 2025
⅘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Roll for Romance
Author: Lenora Woods

I really enjoyed this one. I’m fully in my romance-meets-nerd era and all these gamer-romcoms coming out lately are absolutely delivering. This reminded me of Dungeons and Drama (Kristy Boyce) in the best way. Our FMC Sadie ends up joining a tabletop campaign with a friend one night, and she definitely doesn’t expect to start falling for the game master, Noah. Sadie’s life is kind of messy right now; she just lost her job and feels like she’s drifting without a clear direction. Noah is a bit of a nomad himself, so as they grow closer they both have to face the realities of what a long-term relationship and future could even look like for them. There’s a lot of actual gameplay woven in, and it’s so fun, imaginative, nerdy, and just the right amount of chaotic. Honestly, nerd romance might be my new favorite theme?? Because this hit so many cozy, swoony, heart-warming notes for me.
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