Forced together for a new D&D campaign, sparks fly as two former college rivals clash—both in and out of the game—in this blend 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 their unexpected hookup and Wesley’s sudden disappearance following it severed 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 channeling 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?
Read: August 18, 2026 – August 22, 2026
Final Rating: 4/5 – I really liked it!
Thank you to Ballantine/Dell for providing a complimentary eARC through Netgalley. All opinions in this review are my own and were not influenced.
My favorite part of this book was how the author wove the D&D campaign in with the rest of the story. Initially, I was concerned because I thought it might overshadow the real life relationships, or make me confused, but I loved every part of it. And now this has awakened in me a desire to read more books about gaming (be that video games, tabletop games, or whatever). UGH. I loved it. And don’t get me started on the writing style. Everything flowed so smoothly and I found myself truly immersed in the story, the game, the characters… all of it. Their D&D crew (Colin, Arthur, Shay, Mona) have my heart, truly. I’m so glad Reagan got to experience true friendship through them.
I must admit, I initially found it difficult to root for Reagan and Wesley. On Reagan’s end, it was clear that his leaving really hurt her and she didn’t allow herself to lower her walls or actually believe that he wouldn’t leave again (with good reason). On Wesley’s end, we learn the reason he left all those years ago but I don’t think that we saw enough of his backstory to understand his actions. A number of times, it felt like some of the other characters were speaking for him, instead of allowing us to see for ourselves through his own words. I came around to their relationship in the end, a lot in part because of their shared vulnerability and Reagan actually realizing (a) what she wanted, and (b) that she needed to heal not for anyone else but herself.
I don’t often enjoy breakups in romance novels because I find the conflict either unnecessary or forced to create a point of tension. Though the argument they had was a hard read, I absolutely loved the resolution and the ending. I was so proud of them, I was smiling as though I actually knew them lol.
All in all, I truly enjoyed this story and would definitely recommend for anyone looking to lose themselves into a rivals to lovers romance where the leads have a shared passion for video games, competition, and winning. Brilliant!