This cozy D&D-infused romance doubles as a swoony summer rom-com.
Two newbie gamers fall for each other both inside and outside their Dungeons & Dragons session.
Sadie Brooks has never felt more adrift. After losing her marketing job in New York, she’s retreated to small-town Texas to spend the summer with her best friend, Liam, while trying to figure out her next move. In the meantime, she finally lets Liam talk her into joining a D&D campaign. After creating her character, Jaylie, a confident cleric who serves the Goddess of Luck—and who just so happens to be everything Sadie wishes she were in real life—the next step is meeting the other people Liam has roped into the game. Everyone in their party is likable, but Sadie instantly takes notice of bartender Noah Walker, and it’s not just because of the impressive muscles beneath his flannel. He’s confident, friendly, and outgoing, and seems to have life all figured out solely by virtue of not trying to plan things at all. That carefree perspective matches that of Loren, the traveling bard that Noah’s created for himself to play, but it conflicts with Sadie’s desire for more certainty about what’s next. As their D&D campaign begins, Sadie and Noah find themselves falling for each other both in and out of the game, but their relationship may have a real-world expiration date. Noah doesn’t make a habit of staying anywhere for long, and Sadie finds herself courted by an exciting potential employer back in New York. Woods’ debut is an extended love letter to D&D and the perfect entry point for readers with only a cursory knowledge of the iconic fantasy game, allowing them to understand the beats of playing through a campaign. Yet it’s the inclusion of parallel narratives that really makes the novel sing. Jaylie and Loren’s romance plays out in an immersive fantasy timeline alongside Sadie and Noah’s more grounded contemporary story, and it’s clear to see how the former influences the latter as these two fall for each other over time.
This cozy D&D-infused romance doubles as a swoony summer rom-com.Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9780593975411
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Dell
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.
A travel writer has one last shot at reconnecting with the best friend she just might be in love with.
Poppy and Alex couldn't be more different. She loves wearing bright colors while he prefers khakis and a T-shirt. She likes just about everything while he’s a bit more discerning. And yet, their opposites-attract friendship works because they love each other…in a totally platonic way. Probably. Even though they have their own separate lives (Poppy lives in New York City and is a travel writer with a popular Instagram account; Alex is a high school teacher in their tiny Ohio hometown), they still manage to get together each summer for one fabulous vacation. They grow closer every year, but Poppy doesn’t let herself linger on her feelings for Alex—she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship or the way she can be fully herself with him. They continue to date other people, even bringing their serious partners on their summer vacations…but then, after a falling-out, they stop speaking. When Poppy finds herself facing a serious bout of ennui, unhappy with her glamorous job and the life she’s been dreaming of forever, she thinks back to the last time she was truly happy: her last vacation with Alex. And so, though they haven’t spoken in two years, she asks him to take another vacation with her. She’s determined to bridge the gap that’s formed between them and become best friends again, but to do that, she’ll have to be honest with Alex—and herself—about her true feelings. In chapters that jump around in time, Henry shows readers the progression (and dissolution) of Poppy and Alex’s friendship. Their slow-burn love story hits on beloved romance tropes (such as there unexpectedly being only one bed on the reconciliation trip Poppy plans) while still feeling entirely fresh. Henry’s biggest strength is in the sparkling, often laugh-out-loud-funny dialogue, particularly the banter-filled conversations between Poppy and Alex. But there’s depth to the story, too—Poppy’s feeling of dissatisfaction with a life that should be making her happy as well as her unresolved feelings toward the difficult parts of her childhood make her a sympathetic and relatable character. The end result is a story that pays homage to classic romantic comedies while having a point of view all its own.
A warm and winning "When Harry Met Sally…" update that hits all the perfect notes.Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0675-8
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
PERSPECTIVES
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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