Book: Level Up for Love: A Novel by Woods, Lenora
Reviewed by Maggie Hayes
Rating: 4/5
Level Up for Love by Lenora Woods
⭐⭐⭐⭐¼ (4.25/5)
I really enjoyed Reagan and Wesley's enemies-to-lovers romance set against the backdrop of an epic Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
Reagan is a great heroine, with her gamer nerdiness and take-charge attitude. It always makes me happy to see a woman kicking ass in a traditionally male space, especially one with a history of toxicity toward women like the gaming community. I am obsessed with her being both a strong coder and a Dungeon Master.
Wesley is impossible not to love. I like that he is imperfect (see: giving Reagan an Irish goodbye after a hot make-out sesh in college), because it shows how much he's grown since then. And the way this man YEARNS for Reagan. He has clearly been viewing their banter as foreplay since college, and I am here for it.
I love the fantasy element introduced in the parts of the book that follow the D&D campaign, where we get to see the action from the characters' POVs. It was so clever how Sindra and Vadrien's story runs parallel to Reagan and Wesley's. Blending reality and in-game storytelling really worked for me, giving me the best of both contemporary and fantasy romance. I especially appreciate that the gaming element is genuinely integrated into the story, not just decorative.
Thank you to the author, Ballantine Books, Dell Romance, and NetGalley for providing an ARC.