Level Up for Love

by Lenora Woods

Sparks fly as two former college rivals are forced together for a new D&D campaign—clashing both in and out of the game—in this fusion of contemporary second-chance romance and fantasy from the author of Roll for Romance.

In college, Reagan Riley and Wesley Locke were constantly at each other’s throats, competing to be the best in their video game design program—until Wesley ghosts her after their unexpected hookup, severing their ties for good.

Six years later, Reagan has set aside her game design dreams, opting instead to stay close to her family in Connecticut and channel her creative energy into D&D. When her longstanding group falls apart, she and her sister join their local game store's new advanced campaign—only to find the demanding Dungeon Master at the helm is none other than Wesley. In the game, he is Vadrien, a merciless, power-hungry vampire lord, and Reagan is Sindra, the sword-wielding lady knight who will stop at nothing to cut him down.

When a game design opportunity opens up in the real world, Reagan and Wesley find themselves doubly pitted against each other. But as their buried spark reignites and Reagan starts to question why Wesley left all those years ago, can they find a way to play nice—and are they playing for more than just to win?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fantasy, Contemporary, Fiction, Second Chance, Enemies To Lovers

356 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication September 8, 2026

Reviews

[Alyx Gough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Dell for the ARC! 💕

My D&D heart is SO happy after this one. 🥹🎲✨ Level Up For Love by Lenora Woods was such a cozy, nerdy, feel-good romance that felt like curling up with a warm drink while listening to your favorite D&D campaign unfold.

I absolutely loved the D&D elements woven throughout the story. Reagan and Wesley battling it out both in the game and in real life was SO much fun, especially with Reagan playing a sword-wielding knight and Wesley taking on the role of a merciless vampire lord. Give me a little enemies-to-lovers tension, some competitive banter, a tabletop campaign, and a second-chance romance, and apparently I am SOLD.

But underneath all the fun and games, I really loved the heart of this story. Reagan finding her way back to something creative that she loves, the family relationships, the friendships, and of course that unresolved spark between her and Wesley all made this feel incredibly warm and comforting.

And the romance?? 🥹 Watching these two slowly unpack their past while trying not to fall for each other all over again was exactly the kind of cozy romantic chaos I wanted.

This was such a fun read for my D&D-loving heart, and now I just want to find a local game store, roll some dice, and join a campaign. 🎲💕

If you love cozy romances, D&D, second chances, rivals-to-lovers energy, and characters who are just a little too competitive for their own good, definitely add this one to your TBR!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow, I love discovering a new favorite author. Feels like a well deserved treat. Like, I'm already running to get her previous book right NOW.

I'm going to be honest — my knowledge for d&d only comes from baldur's gate 3, Dimension 20 and Stranger Things. Which is to say, not a whole lot. I still find myself obsessed with it. Like the vibes are perfect?? I love when authors who incorporate it make it easy to follow along.

And WOW, Lenora Woods did something so fun with this story. It's half a modern romance story about former college rivals to friends to lovers, and the other half is their campaign. Lenora fully immerses you in it and writes it in a way you slip so seamlessly right into the fantasy world before being dragged back to the real world. It was so much FUN.

The chemistry was on point. Had me going feral and crazy, begging them to just shut up and make out. The focus is definitely more on the plot than spice so that when the spice hits it's a nuclear bomb, so if that's your cup of tea this is perfect for you.

I fear this is also a case of loving the FMC too much. She was perfect and I won't take any slander against her. Reagan is my best friend. She can do no wrong. AND ALSO YES, Wesley is the perfect book boyfriend.

Thank you to Ballantine and netgalley for the arc!

[RootsfortheVillain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reagan and Wesley were college rivals, always trying to outdo each other in their video game design program. After an unexpected hookup, Wesley vanished without a word. Six years later, Reagan’s sister Mona convinces Reagan to join an advanced campaign at their local gaming store, since their last group fell apart. When they arrive for their first sessions, Reagan is shocked to see that the Dungeon Master is Wesley, who is staying with a friend after being laid off from his game design job. The two quickly revert to old rival habits when a game design opportunity arises. But will they be able to let go of the past and see if the old spark between them remains?

I loved Roll for Romance, so I was thrilled to see Lenora Woods had written another fun romance. What I enjoy most is that this book tells two stories. One follows Wesley and Reagan as rivals. The other is a gothic Dungeons & Dragons campaign with Vadrien, the vampire lord, and Sindra, the knight who wants to defeat him. I was just as eager to find out what would happen next in the campaign as I was to see if Wesley and Reagan could put aside their differences, work together, and maybe become something more. I fell in love with both stories and their characters. Readers who enjoy adult romances and are interested in Dungeons & Dragons or gaming in general will fall in love with Level Up for Love.

Level Up for Love is out September 8th.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine for the opportunity to review Level Up for Love. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t fall back asleep, so figured I’d pick up my book. Considering it is now about four hours later and I finished it, I’d say it’s a damn good book.

I am of course a huge D&D nerd so I loved the opportunity to read about fellow nerds. Reagan was.. well, honestly, she was a bitch for a good chunk of this book, but it was honest and relatable and even more satisfying when she grew from it. We were all shitty in college. It’s the default personality of a college student.

It was nice seeing Reagan and Wesley mirror each other: I wouldn’t say they’re polar opposites (it’s not really black cat / golden retriever because the boy’s got a lot of sadness there) but they compliment each other well.

Does Lenora Woods play D&D??? Can I join her table????

Thank you to NetGalley, Lenora Woods, and Dell for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Dell for the advanced copy via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

I loved this one! After reading Roll for Romance, I was so excited for this one and it did not disappoint!! I thought Reagan and Wes had great tension and the reader could feel the tension rooted in their history. I feel like I learn so much about Dungeons and Dragons through Lenora Woods’ books! I loved how the storylines switched between the real world and the D&D world. It was such a great way of allowing the reader to get to know the characters better! Overall, this was a great read!!

[BookishKB]

🎲❤️ Level Up for Love ❤️🎲

📖 Bookish Thoughts

My full review will be shared closer to the publication date.

✨ What to Expect
• Second Chance Romance
• College Rivals
• Dungeons & Dragons
• Nerdy Romance
• Forced Proximity
• Video Game Designers
• Enemies to Lovers
_ __ _

📅 Pub Date: September 8, 2026
Thank you to Ballantine, Dell, and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

[Mimi Schweid]

I fear this one's for meeee.

[katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

PLEASE this book was so good, so cute, so full of found family, and a yearning man who simps like no other!!!!! I loved roll for romance, so I was super excited to receive this ARC and I must say that Lenora has outdone herself with this one. Roller romance was a softer romance, and that it was two people meeting and falling in love pretty naturally whereas this book right out of the gate is rivals clashing with one another, but who have underlying chemistry and then, GASP! A BETRAYAL. Fast forward six years and they meet again still as rivals and still with that same underlying chemistry. And when I tell you this man is SO FOINE. Their banter and back-and-forth and tension was just so delicious and seeing the walls and inevitably crumble is one of the best parts of any good rivals to lovers. And I guess this is kind of also like a second chance if you think about it, which is one of my favorite tropes so really this was just a book made specifically for me as a lover of all these tropes and of Dungeons & Dragons.

Also, I must rave about the author’s ability to write essentially two books in one because half of this book is the contemporary romance and half of this book is the Dungeons & Dragons plot line written out like a fantasy novel. Both had me equally enraptured.

Also pretty much all of the characters in this book had dimension and were more than just sounding boards for the main characters, which is something that always bothers me in these kinds of books. Everyone had their own stuff going on and it just made the group feel more well-rounded.

I truly loved this book so much, and I look forward to anything that the author writes in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the advanced copy to review!

[Analisia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Level Up For Love by Lenora Woods ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely LOVED this book. I fell in love with this story and the way Lenora writes. The way she blended the main story with their D&D campaign was amazing. I found myself fully immersed in not only the main story, but also the characters’ campaign as well, it was just soooo freaking good. I found myself metaphorically sitting at the edge of my seat while reading the D&D campaign lol. This author knows ball when it comes to gaming, and this book shows it for sure, she’s someone I’d love to chat with about everything nerdy. She absolutely killed it with this book and I need more of her writing, especially the fantasy writing, like if Lenora announces she’s writing a fantasy book about a D&D campaign, I’m 100% buying it and reading it. I loved the two main characters so much, their rivalry being tangible and seeing the growth in both of them. The reality of change is so hard for people and seeing how change affects the characters was just so well done. I could NOT put this book down and read it in one day. I highly recommend this book, especially for the lovers of romance, nerdy things, and D&D.

✨Level Up For Love releases September 8th, 2026!✨

[Leanna Streeter · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a D&D player and a romance lover, this book was pretty much guaranteed to work for me, and OH did it ever.

I loved Roll for Romance, but somehow I loved Level Up for Love even more. Former college rivals thrown together in a D&D campaign? Second-chance romance? Competitive banter? And they’re battling each other as a sword-wielding knight and a vampire lord? Please. I never stood a chance.

I absolutely loved the way the story moved between Reagan and Wesley’s real lives and their campaign. The D&D scenes weren’t just something cute happening in the background either. I got completely invested in that world too, and watching their real-life tension follow them straight into the game made everything even better.

And Reagan and Wesley! The history between them, the rivalry, the chemistry, the unresolved feelings and I ate it all up. I wanted these two together so badly, and watching them slowly work through everything between them while very obviously still being drawn to each other was exactly my kind of romance.

This book made my nerdy little heart ridiculously happy. I had SO much fun reading it, I didn’t want it to end, and now I desperately need Lenora Woods to keep writing romances for D&D people forever because two books are absolutely not enough.

I NEED MORE.

[Shameez Papathanasiou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book so good I’ve flooded the author’s DMs with reactions and begged for more.

ADD TO YOUR TBR.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is *literally* nothing I love more in a romance novel than when the girl thinks they HATE each other, but, in actuality, the guy has been obsessed with her from the very beginning (See also: The Fake Out by Stephanie Archer). It’s just so fun! You get all the delicious banter, all of the palpable tension, plus an insane level of yearning.

Needless to say, I was in love with Wesley from the prologue. He was so pathetically into Reagan. I couldn’t get enough of it.

Level Up for Love was so much fun, but I wish we could have spent more time with the main characters. Instead, what felt like 30% of the book was spent INSIDE the D&D campaign and, unfortunately, I didn’t care about that at all. Whenever we switched over to Sindra’s story, I was bored. I had to force my self to keep reading.

I would have preferred using those pages to really dig deep with Wesley and Reagan. There was so much more I wanted to explore with them.

Still, I had a lot of fun and would completely recommend, especially for video game or D&D lovers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for the advanced readers copy! Level Up for Love is out September 8th, 2026.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolute 5 star read for me.
I haven’t been this invested in two people, and honestly a whole friend group, in a while. A perfect balance of an intricate D&D campaign with twists and turns and an equally balanced love story between two very misunderstood MCs.

Our FMC Reagan and MMC Wesley went to the same college together and were in the same major, video game development. TLDR after college they went their separate ways and had their own lives until 6 years later where this story takes place.
*brief vague spoilers*
Reagan and her sister (Ramona/ Mona) join a local D&D group that Mona’s girlfriend has been playing with and they’re starting a new campaign. I absolutely adored the push and pull between Wesley and Reagan. At first I found Reagan absolutely incredible rude how she acted after the first session and actually cringed thinking how I’d never let someone with that attitude back. But the more we got into the store the more Reagan (and Wesley’s) history and childhood start to paint the full picture
*no more spoilers*

I absolutely adored the D&D campaign story as well as our love story. Both of these being so well thought out and intricately detailed, I was enthralled through the whole book. I never wanted to put it down! Huge recommend this book (as well as the other D&D romance by Lenora Woods it’s incredible also)

Thank you NetGalley & Random House Publishing/ Ballantine for this ARC!

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lenora woods does it again!!! and this time I was locked in the whole time. I felt more of a pull to these characters compared to her last novel. Using the same style as her last book; Lenora jumps back and forth between the d&d game with fantastical elements & combat into the real world with modern devices. She is able to seamlessly do these flips and shows her strength in both worlds. She had me tearing up towards the end too, and I do have a new favorite quote from it! (Will add after publication!)

only complaint is my anxiety regarding the third act conflict was so late in the book I was stressed. but I did love the ending and thought it was fitting and there was solid character development for the main characters.

thank you netgalley and Ballantine for the arc!

[Natalee · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, this felt like a pretty typical college-campus rivals-to-lovers romance. I actually went back and reread the blurb because the setup was so well done that I wasn’t sure where this was going. And then, MAN, does it switch it up!

I loved the tension of knowing there were things happening beneath the surface without knowing exactly what they were yet. And that back-and-forth after the first game session?! DEVASTATION. She could bottle that badassery and sell it. 🤌🏼

The D&D elements give this such a unique contemporary romance/high fantasy mashup, and I was completely here for it. This story also felt surprisingly spare and honest compared to a lot of contemporary romance I’ve read lately. I’ve gotten so spoiled by multiple POVs that sitting back and letting everything unfold naturally was almost difficult, but it made the payoff that much better.

Also, maybe it’s my immature, un-therapized raccoon brain, but I spent SO much of this book wanting someone to throw a tantrum. Take the low road! Say the mean thing! Succumb to the CRASH OUT! 😂 But she doesn’t. There’s no ridiculous miscommunication trope here. Just wrong timing, crossed wires, and two people trying to be adults about their feelings. Somehow, that was less frustrating and MORE heartbreaking.

And yes, we get our HEA. Don’t worry. But the ending comes with a level of adultiness and emotional honesty that made everything feel incredibly real. I especially loved how both the real-life storylines and the D&D storylines came together.

This was such a fresh, unexpected read for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! My first Lenora Woods book, but definitely not my last. I’ll be going back for her backlist!

4.5 ⭐️’s
1.5 🌶️’s

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun mix of romance and fantasy! After really enjoying this author’s first book, I was excited to pick up her second. As with the first book, Roll for Romance, this book is centered on a Dungeons and Dragons campaign told on page, so it’s a neat combo of contemporary romance and a fantasy story.

This would be a good book to read in the coming months as it takes place in the fall in New England (always a special time) and the setting was perfect. There are not many books set in Connecticut so that was fun to read about…and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen my alma mater referenced in a fiction book before so that was really cool too!

I loved the fantasy story (the D&D game). Even though there are essentially two sets of characters in the book, I never had difficulty telling who was who between who they were in person vs in the game. I liked seeing the twists and turns and was just as annoyed as the characters were when their sessions ended on a cliffhanger!

The romance was enjoyable too. I liked both Wesley and Reagan as characters. Reagan has been through a lot and has difficulty letting people in. Wesley was her rival in college and so they have a bit of rivalry that has carried over into the present.

I also thought the book was really well written. I was drawn into this book almost immediately because it was so compelling and interesting yet also easy to read.

I will definitely keep an eye out for this author’s next book!



thank you to the publisher, Ballantine, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5!
Reagan's rival really raises her blood pressure. It's not enough that Wesley is the classmate who always had something to say about her game designs and builds, but now, he's shown up at her house party. They share a moment (you know) and he ghosts her completely. And stole her shirt!!
Years later, she's single after a tough breakup of both her boyfriend and the DnD group she ran. On a whim, she joins a local group with her sister (whose girlfriend is in the group) for a higher level campaign.
Can you guess who the DM is? Warlocke! Aka Wesley Locke, himself. Awkward and difficult, but they reach a truce! (And he runs a fun campaign!) Learning to play and work with Wesley is hard, but so is trying to keep her hands (and lips) off of him. The chemistry and pull is still there from six years ago, but so is the hurt and fear.
I loved Roll for Romance, but the tension and emotion that runs through this book makes it my favorite of the two! Lenora Woods effortlessly brings in the narrative of the DnD campaign, while still filling all of the characters with life and joy and emotion! I look forward to what she comes up with next!

[Allison Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

🎲⚔️ARC REVIEW⚔️🎲

First I want to say a HUGE thank you to @dellromance for sending me a gifted physical ARC of Level Up for Love by @lenorawoodswrites! I’m so honored 🥹

Y’ALL. This was a 6⭐️ read 🤭 I will not be accepting criticisms at this time 🙂‍↔️

Lenora, Ma’am, you nailed this. It was the *perfect* mashup between fantasy novel and contemporary romance with just the right amount of spice and yearning and UGH I already want a reread!! (I have a feeling the audio is gonna be incredible so I think I’ll go that route 😏)

If you’re mostly a romance reader but like to mix in a little bit of fantasy, this is the one for you!! I so, so, so enjoyed the bits where we were fully immersed in the characters’ D&D campaign, and Lenora if you’re reading this I need you to write a full fantasy novel asap please and thank you!😘

I also want to make it perfectly clear that even if you know nothing about/don’t play D&D, I am 100% confident you will still throughly enjoy this. And who knows, maybe it’ll make you curious enough to pick up a set of dice? Come join us on the dark side 😈

Level Up for Love is out September 8th!! You’re not gonna want to miss this one 😋

🗡️He’s her DM (Dungeon Master) (Not that kind of dungeon get your head out of the gutter!! Or don’t 😉)
🎲Secret hookups
🗡️Second chance romance (kind of)
🎲Lady knight x Vampire antagonist
🗡️Rivals to lovers
🎲Nerdy references

[Sydney Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4/5 Stars (I loved it!)
Level Up for Love by Lenora Woods is a great mix of heart and nerdy charm. The combination of geek culture, a fun D&D campaign, and falling in love made for a genuinely enjoyable read.
This is what some might call a "potato chip" book—it is easily binged, and the stakes are low enough that the third-act conflict doesn't feel earth-shattering. The characters are highly likable, relatable, and fundamentally well-crafted.
I especially loved the setting. Having a nerdy story take place in the Northeast was a refreshing change of pace, as D&D and video game-centric plots rarely seem to be set near bustling East Coast cities. As a massive fan of Vermont, the trip there earned major bonus points from me!
While I don't know if this story will heavily stand out to me over time, I had a wonderful time reading it. It is a fantastic palette cleanser for anyone who enjoys nerdy themes, and I will definitely be recommending it to others.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[kelsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is very cute! it’s definitely a feel good story with some deeper meaning, and i really liked that. i loved both main characters, and the side characters were great too. you guys know tall, nerdy mmc’s are my kryptonite & this one DELIVEREDDD. the fmc did give me a little secondhand embarrassment (my worst nightmare) at first, but she definitely got better. the sisterhood bond in this book made me so emotional 😭

i will say this book heavily involves D&D, and i knew little to nothing about it going in. i do think the author handled it really well, though, and it wasn’t too confusing. a big part of this book is actually the D&D characters’ journey, and while i did like it at certain parts, there’s A LOT of it. it got somewhat tedious to read at times.

overall, i do recommend! the prologue & the epilogue were both really nice too, and i thought they were a great way to start & finish the book. thank you to the publisher for providing this book for review via netgalley. all opinions are my own <3

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️ 5
💋 3
🌶️ 2

Having enjoyed Roll for Romance I knew I would enjoy Level Up For Love but I didn’t know that I would LOVE IT. Reagan and Wesley’s rivals to lovers story was so fun to read. Miscommunication is not a trope I usually enjoy but I think it works well for their story. I loved their banter, their tension, really everything about them. I related to Reagan and her struggles throughout the book. And Wesley … adore him. No notes on him other than I would like more … lol. I was not expecting to get hit in the feels but I was crying by the end of the book. Like with Roll for Romance the balance between the D&D story and main story felt very balanced. I really enjoyed how this book felt like the progression as a player. Roll for Romance is everyone first time playing and in Level Up For Love everyone is experienced players. It felt like the natural progression. Lenora is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and I cannot wait to see what might come next.

[Becca (beccasnextchapter) · Rating 4 out of 5]

📆 Expected pub date: Sep 8, 2026

Reagan Riley joins her local game store’s new advanced D&D campaign, where she finds her old college rival, Wesley, is the Dungeon Master. They both go after a game design opportunity, and Reagan tries to play nice, while still wondering why Wesley ghosted her all those years ago.

I loved the tension and banter between Reagan and Wesley! I’m a fan of the enemies/rivals to lovers trope as well as second chance romance. I also enjoyed the D&D plot line with Reagan and Wesley’s characters, Sindra and Vadrien. It was fun to have that story mixed in to the “real life” storyline.

🎲 d&d romance
🎲 rivals to lovers
🎲 two nerds fall in love
🎲 forced proximity
🎲 second chance romance
🎲 found family
🎲 yearning

I really enjoyed Woods’s first book, Roll for Romance, so I was pumped to get an eARC of Level Up for Love!

Thank you Ballentine and Netgalley for the eARC!

[Jenn (myspookybookishlife) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️
3🌶️

Wow I am absolutely loving these stories both the actual characters Wesley and Reagan and their D&D characters Sindra and Valdrien!! I’ve been totally sucked into this story from the beginning and can honestly say I loved seeing Reagan and Wesley’s banter. It legit felt like they were flirting the entire time even when they were fighting over something as silly as how Wes was running his campaign. And the amazing look into everything even the small things was beautiful. Watching these two come together again after how things ended and how much trauma Reagan had dealt with in the years they were apart was the most heartwarming experience ever. And the D&D adventure was absolutely incredible I’ve said it before but it makes you want to join a D&D campaign and go on your own adventure!!!

Thank you NetGalley, Dell and Lenora for allowing me to read this early!!!

[Anna DiCiurcio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a book that is outside the norm for me! This book is a rivals to lovers, second chance, and found family romance that follows Reagan and Wesley as they navigate having each other in their lives again. What I love about this book is it encompasses so much D&D in it. It’s one thing when a book follows characters through their lives and their interests, but it’s another to do it so impressively! The love story was so good and the spice was brief but great! I highly recommend this book if you want romance with a different plot!!

Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine, and Lenora Woods for allowing me to read this book!!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

eARC from NetGalley

This series is still so fun and nerdy!!

I still love the premise and how it intertwines the campaign with the main story. I didn’t like this one as much as the first one mostly because I didn’t like this campaign as much and because this campaign wasn’t as much of a parallel for the IRL story it felt like we only got to see half as much relationship development between the two MCs.

I was giggling & kicking my feet at the tshirt reveal tho and there were other cute moments like that that I appreciated.

CAWPILE: 7.38
Characters 8
Atmosphere/Setting 8
Writing 8
Plot/Logic 6
Intrigue 7
Relationships 7
Enjoyment 8

[Summer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Level Up For Love by Lenora Woods

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I just love a D and D romcom 🥰🥰There was a few things I predicted like who the DM was. I love the tv and movie references such as Twilight and Game of thrones. There was mentions of vampires, necromancers, and dragons. Also Sadie from book one popping in for a second I love!! This was a hate love relationship. Raegan has a lot of things she had to work though to get where we wanted it to end.

[Bookish Baptist · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read. I absolutely loved getting the gameplay aspect of the story as well as the irl character development. It genuinely felt like being part of a campaign. Loved all the insider jokes and references too, it really made me connect with the story personally because I felt like I was spending time with my own friend group. This book is perfect for Ali Hazelwood fans who love gaming. Great banter, a steamy romance, and relatable characters.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so grateful I got the opportunity to read this one because I enjoyed Roll for Romance so much! 🎲❤️

In Level Up for Love, we get little flashbacks to Reagan and Wesley’s rivalry as graduation approaches, and these two have seemingly called a truce in the form of video games and some VERY hot flirting. Are they finally going to put their differences aside and explore their obvious connection?

HA! Absolutely not. 😂 Not yet, anyway.

Unfortunately, Reagan is left high and dry, or in her case, falling asleep in an empty bed with no water. Water that Wesley promised to bring her…yet never did. 👀

Fast-forward a few years and Reagan is working from home, nowhere near where she thought she’d be in life. She’s living close to her sister, dealing with anxieties she thought she’d have moved past, and trying to pick herself back up after a bad breakup. She’s also missing her D&D group and the friendships she once thought were forever.

Then an opportunity to join a campaign with her sister puts her right back into Wesley’s orbit. And this time, he’s the Grandmaster. 🎲

Watching Reagan slowly let down her walls throughout the campaign was something I absolutely LOVED. She’s so used to being the one in control, but stepping into Wesley’s world forces her to confront her fears, her feelings, and the possibility that maybe letting people in isn’t such a bad thing.

I absolutely adored Wesley, although I HATED the reason these two couldn’t be together in the beginning. Like, UGGG. 😩 But then I had to remind myself, Chelsea, this is a BOOK. Get over it. 😂

The D&D campaign was such an awesome concept and honestly one of my favorite parts of the story. Such an enjoyable read, and I’m definitely looking forward to more from this author!

Thank you, Dell! ❤️🎲

[Danielle]

I really enjoyed this one! I thought it struck a better balance between the real life story and the fantasy D&D story than the author's previous book and I liked the characters, especially Reagan. I love a prickly female protagonist, what can I say? The ending of the real life story felt a bit rushed but overall I recommend!

Thanks to Ballantine and Netgalley for the ARC ✌️

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️ || 2.5 🌶️
Ugh, she’s blended another perfect mix of TTRPG and romance! Level Up for Love has the same split world flow as the first installment, and I think I actually enjoyed this storyline better. The number of blonde men I’m growing to love is actually alarming.

Reagan and Wesley have their own adventure both on and off the table when they first meet in their college game design program. The competition flares up after an *almost* one night stand, and Reagan is left confused by their entanglement even years later. As fate has it, Wesley appears back in her life as their new DM. Can he withstand the damage? 👀

Thank you to the author and Dell for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Tropes: rivals to lovers, he falls first, competition, second chance romance, romantasy side quest, one night stand, miscommunication