e-ALC, 10:31:50
Narrated by: Louisa Zhu
Release Date: May 5, 2026
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: May 7-8, 2026
Gaming & Romance, #3
Source: PRH Audio App (I received this e-ALC free from the publisher and their app. This did nothing to influence my review. I read them at the same time.)
Content Warning: Bullying, Abandonment, Toxic Relationship
For Readers of: Audio, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Sparkly Cover, Most Anticipated, Realistic Fiction, Romance, YARoll the dice, strike up the band, and get ready for a swoon-worthy summer! A charming gaming romance that blends the magic of D&D with the camaraderie of band camp—from the bestselling author of Dating and Dragons!
Questing for love . . .
Hazel Buchanan has her senior year mapped out: Win respect as color guard captain, kick off her first D&D campaign, and steer clear of distractions. But her plan takes a critical hit when Max—her former best friend and longtime crush—returns to town with drumsticks in hand and an unexplained chip on his shoulder.
Hazel and Max can’t help bickering every time they’re together, and thanks to meddling parents, he’s invading her D&D game too. As Dungeon Master, she’s ready to shut him down, but D&D has a way of bringing people together like nothing else. Is this rivalry masking something more? With dice rolling and emotions spinning, Hazel might be in for more than she planned . . .
*MY THOUGHTS*
This was one of my most anticipated! I LOVED the first two in this series and just knew this would be the same! And it wasn’t. I still like it, but it just wasn’t the same. So much so that I had to reach out to another fan and ask them if I was crazy. I don’t think that proved anything, but it did make me feel validated anyways lol
So the thing that first made me think of that was MMC. I kept telling myself he was a teen boy and he couldn’t regulate his emotions, but he had too many chances. He was so mean for no reason. Then when he said he was starting to fall for her, he was still mean. And she just ate it up. I didn’t get it. Finally when they got it together, I didn’t get it. But I thought that was a me thing because I don’t like enemies to lovers lol This was annoying.
I also didn’t like the fact that this wasn’t actually about the game this time. They spent way more time talking about band. And don’t get me wrong, as a former band student, I was happy about that. But it just wasn’t what I was expecting. It IS in there, but its scare and few and far in-between. I was confused as to why this just wasn’t it’s own different story. The others ones had it as the main plot and this one seemed secondary. It wasn’t bad or anything, I was just expecting something else so I was disappointed.
The band stuff tho was so good! I related so hard. I wasn’t in color guard, but I did play and march with the flute. I was a self proclaimed “section leader” (we didn’t have official ones and everyone always asked me what we were playing in parades etc LOL) It was a TIME. I honestly related to so many things. Except where I went to school, the percussion section wasn’t terrible, it was the trumpets lol But the practices and the way they all argued and the way they had little chants and nicknames…. It was a lot and I felt so much nostalgia.
This took me back to my band days, but that’s about the only thing that gave me those fluttery feelings. I had to get over Max’s meanness and I had to let it go that Hazel was ok with it. But I was still happy to see her stretch and grow as the Dungeon Master. That was another thing I liked. DM is something I’ve been interested in doing for a while. I love the idea of making up a story. (I’m nothing but a reader girl LOL) I just haven’t met anyone that wants to let me try things on them. And I’m not sure if I have enough time to learn all the things that every little thing can do or every little thing that could happen. It just seems like a lot, so the fact that she was even trying was cool.
This wasn’t like the others, but it had its own moments. I enjoyed most of it, I just was expecting something different and that was an important part of this story to me. So I was looking for something else.
Overall, I give this
