The Entanglement of Rival Wizards. Deluxe Edition

• nerdy, dnd • enemies to lovers • fantasy academia romcom || Sara Raasch's books give me a special kind of comfort. A little bit of nerdyness, a little bit of rivalry, a pinch of spice and a whole lotta fun ♥

I have to admit that I've never played DND before, which means that the movie and several internet memes are the only reference points I have for the game. I assume that someone who has a certain knowledge of it would probably experience the book a little differently considering it’s a romance inspired by the world of DND. However, this won’t stop me from saying that the Entanglement of Rival Wizards is in no way, shape, or form inferior to the royal holiday series and that I enjoyed it immensely. The world was amazing, the characters were lovable and realistic, and the romance was superb. There is no one who intertwines romance and magic quite like Sara Raasch, and she continues to prove to me why she is one of my favorite authors in that genre. Her characters always have so much chemistry. Not necessarily a sexual one, but one that makes you understand why the characters fell in love (or are friends for that matter) in the first place. Which is a skill many romance authors lack. The only criticism I have is that the world was more of a backdrop in the story. I would have wished for a little more worldbuilding, though not less romance.

Just like the books in the ‘Royals and Romance’ Series, this book was a whole lot of fun. Sebastian and Orok have a beautiful friendship that was a highlight for me in this book and something I would love to see more of. The love story between Sebastian and Elethior was fun and flirty, their heated rivalry full of banter and tension soon turning into a relationship that kept the same amount of tension. The story had some beautiful and emotional scenes that involved Sebastian’s anxiety/PTSD and both his and Elethior's complicated and toxic relationships with their families that helped in cementing their relationship. Overall, this story was full of fun banter, genuine relationships, and emotional struggles, that make me look forward to the next book in the series (It’s about Orok! I just know he will make me cry too)