Taking Initiative by Elle M. Stewart was so good!
A well written debut title. The writing, superb. The characters, unforgettable. The storyline, addictive! I enjoyed everything about this book.

Thank You NetGalley and Elle M. Stewart for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This was a quick read with a cute nerdy storyline. I loved the nerdy aspect of this story, with DnD (MnM) added to the storyline, and loved that the main character was able to share her love for this game, which had previously been pushed away due to a manipulative ex, and that the MMC even did his best to let her know that he did not mind that she played it, and even enjoyed playing with her.

I do appreciate that Felix was a great MMC, and was very patient and understanding when it came to Jo, and how she had been affected by her manipulative ex.

I do think that it was kind of a more monotone book, not really anything going on that grabbed my attention and kept it for too long, but it was still enjoyable.

All in all, for a debut novel, it was great.

Thank you Elle Stewart and NetGalley for the eARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I personally am not into DnD, but I feel like I need to learn now after reading this book. It was hard to actually finish this book because I loved the characters so much! Jo decided after the end of a long relationship that it was time for a fresh start. She decided to move to Kansas after researching the cheapest places to live. Kansas came with a lot of great surprises for her. The first of which being a hot librarian who was trying to start up an MnM game night to bring out more people to the local library. The first night she arrived there was no one at the game night. Felix, hot librarian, was hit by the realization that starting up the program would entail help from some more experience like Jo. The problem being that Jo was worried about getting too deep back into the MnM world due to the insecurities left behind by her crappy ex boyfriend. Would they be able to pull the program off successfully? Would the flirty banter and time spent together lead to more? @elle.m.stew #takinginitiative

This was a mostly fine read. Jo comes off as manic at times, and it’s jarring. The spicy scenes were r really for me, I could have done without quite a bit of the talk during the scenes but everyone has different tastes. Jo’s friends were the best part of the story and I wish there was more written about them. This has a potential to spin into a series where we could also enjoy stories about the rest of Jo’s MnM group.

“Taking Initiative” by Elle M. Stewart is a charming, easy to read, D&D inspired small town romance that will make you blush over how sweet and spicy it is!

I really enjoyed this book and I devoured it in less than two days! As someone who’s never played Dungeons and Dragons but has always been interested in it, this book really caught my eye. Even if you have zero knowledge of these types of games you’ll enjoy the sizzling chemistry between Jo and Felix.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it, the reason it gets 4 stars instead of 5 for me is because I felt the level of spice was jarring once it was introduced but if you like really spicy books you’ll definitely enjoy that aspect of it.

First, I will say I had to suspend my disbelief a lot with this book as an ex-librarian who ran a D&D program. Barring that, this is an incredibly cute story that’s enjoyable regardless of if you’ve played tabletop roleplaying games. I liked that the main characters’ problems didn’t stop just because of their relationship. They both still had to heal and work through things to have the best chance at happiness.

Felix, the librarian, recruits Jo, the new to town nurse, to help teach him MnM (DnD) so he can run games and save the.library from budget cuts.

This book was incredibly sweet. As a nerdy woman who's had to make herself feel small for some mans ego, Jo's issues in trusting Felix and getting her ex's voice out of her head felt so valid and familiar. Felix was just so good.

I really loved everything about this book. It was fun. It had heart. It has everything I needed.

This captivating debut truly captured my attention from the very beginning. Being a devoted RPG enthusiast for most of my life, the title and cover immediately drew me in, and the engaging plot kept me fully immersed. The intricate relationships, both platonic and romantic, were expertly intertwined, eliciting genuine laughter, joy, and introspection as I navigated through the story.
I found it nearly impossible to set the book aside, as each page beckoned me further into its world. Discovering this book at just the right moment filled me with excitement, and I eagerly anticipate sharing its delightful blend of nerdy charm, poignant moments, and heartfelt exploration of love in all its forms with others. It truly serves as a love letter to RPGs and the complexities of relationships that resonate with us all.

I've read this book in 1 day and that's just a miracle for a slow-reader like me. I just enjoyed so much this cute story without lies between the 2 main characters but a lot of introspection. What a journey into recognizing bad patterns and working on them to build a safe relationship! I love Felix, his patience and his emotional intelligence... such a cute guy every woman would wish to have by her side... as a lover... or as a friend!

This book is SO NERDY!!! (I mean this in the best way possible, of course).

Monsters & Mythology, or MnM (a play on DnD), is the bones of this book, but I think you’d enjoy it whether you have an interest in TTRPGs or not. Even if you’ve never rolled a dice or created a character, you won’t be able to help but cheer for Felix, a hot, emotionally intelligent librarian, and Jo, a nerd riddled with self-doubt who is determined to love her life again.

When Felix’s library is facing budget cuts and his job is on the line, he is forced to throw himself head first into starting up, and running, an MnM program to attract a younger crowd to the library. The only problem is, he knows absolutely nothing about MnM, and the first game night is a disaster…because no one but Jo shows up. Luckily for Felix, Jo happens to know a lot about MnM (like, A Lot a lot) and is willing to help him out–but only for an hour a week. She’s got a complicated history with the game (involving a shitty ex-boyfriend who stole one of her cats???), and despite loving it dearly, she’s trying not to overdo it. And as these things go, one thing leads to another, an hour a week turns into a weekend away at an MnM convention, and, well…you know!

This book has so much heart it’s basically bursting with it. I adore romances where the love interests never really have to question whether or not they love each other–and where even the third-act-break-up is emotionally intelligent and dripping with care. Throw in cute nicknames, the best possible HEA, and spice, oh my god, THE SPICE, and this book truly has it all. From one nerdy bookworm to another: this book is simply not one to skip.

Thank you so much to the author, Elle M Stewart, and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this early! I’m going to go recommend it to my DnD party ASAP!

I want to start off by saying I have never played or been interested in Dungeons & Dragons or other tabletop games, but I was aware that the game was going to take up some of the story. However, I wasn't prepared for how much of the prose went into detailing the game itself—if you love these games, you're going to loveeee that part of the story.

Overall, I didn't find the love match between Jo and Felix. I also found Jo to be very insufferable and the moments that she was uncomfortable with Felix or projecting onto him due to her past were far too many. I know healing isn't linear, but good lord lady, you are not made of glass bones and paper skin. Felix is solid, a librarian and family man, but I wished he spent more time finding clothes that fit because the amount of times the reader was made aware that something was stretched across his skin and buttons were bulging made me fear for his comfort moving in the library all day. I felt like him being a boxer in his free time served to make him more "manly" and explain his bulging muscles and it was just…unnecessary. This wasn't for me!

Thank you to Elle M. Stewart and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

After having her heart broken, Jo Rainier is eager to start fresh in a new town in Kansas. When she walks into her local library's first-ever game night, she unexpectedly finds a gorgeous librarian seriously in over his head. Felix Navarro has taken on the job in order to take care of his aging grandfather. However, Felix has never roleplayed a day in his life but in Jo, he finds an experienced MnM Game Master who is willing to teach him. As they gather at the gaming table, Jo uncovers Felix's soft heart and Felix finds himself falling hard and fast for Jo. As their relationship develops, old wounds left by Jo's toxic ex begin to surface, and Felix's earnest affection suddenly feels too good to be true.
I enjoyed reading about these two mature characters and loved reading about their personal challenges. Felix in particular was so sweet. The secondary characters added to this story, making for a more rounded story. This was a great debut novel!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Jo and Felix are both in Asheville, Kansas not by any strong desire but life has led them both to the library on a Tuesday night for an M&M (pseudo Dungeons & Dragons) game. They are the only ones there and complete opposites about M&M. Jo is a mega fan, recently jumping back into it again after her move and her breakup from an ex who very much did not appreciate her interest in the game. Felix is a library in debt & caring for his elderly grandfather desperate to do something good for the library. After the time passes and no one else shows Felix and Jo come to an agreement that she will provide one hour a week to volunteer to teach Felix about the game. That one hour grows into more as the pair grow closer together where their very obvious interest in each other is allowed to bloom into more.

The two main characters are both in their thirties which I found so refreshing. Especially in Jo who was allowed the space to enjoy her hobby as a woman in her thirties something that you don't always get to see. I enjoyed how she had a clear boundary that someone who couldn't accept her hobby was not someone she could be with. Felix as well made a recent career change in his life, going back to school to obtain his Masters in Information and becoming a librarian. The two of them handled their development and relationship with maturity but also they were moving so fast that it felt like a real first love story.

I really am grateful to have gotten to read this arc early, especially as an almost 30 year old who plays D&D.

Taking initiative - Elle M. Stewart

I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did! Very pleasantly surprised.

This is a very sweet and fluffy romance, based around our main character’s love of Dungeons and Dragons (with a different name 😅)

It’s short and sweet, the romance was cute, and spice was not too cringe, not too bland.

I want more male main characters like Felix! What a sweet heart.

I did feel like there was a lot of padding in this book, but it would have been a little too short without it. I call it padding because not a lot happens 😅

All in all , a cute, nerdy romance that I really liked ☺️

SPICY! SOOOO SPICY!!! AND A SLOW BURN!
My inner Dungeons and Dragons nerd was on high alert through the entire read and I LOVED it!

The story starts with Jo (short for Jolene). She recently moved from California to Kansas and is trying to blend with the folks over there. She meets Felix during a game night of Monsters and Mythology (which is pretty similar if not identical to Dungeons and Dragons by the looks of it).
Felix works at the public library where the game nights are held.

I'm not sure who fell first. But gosh, the TENSION between these two! INSANE! And so freaking good!

Felix is so good with his hands… good god 🫠
Everything about Felix is just… DAMN!

The end of this book! I was screaming and kicking my feet!!

NOTE
I just can't get over how amazing the writing if this book is! It's SO GOOD!!! Elle absolutely aced this!

This was so sweet and fun. The library meet cute of these two 30-somethings was a cool, unique setting. Jo and Felix are great main characters, with the story providing a balance between the budding romance and their own personal stories.

I really enjoyed learning about fantasy role-playing games and conventions along with Felix and seeing Jo’s expertise guiding him into a new hobby.

I would recommend this book to romance readers that like a sweet, friends to lovers story with fantasy role-playing games, family dynamics, and personal growth.

An ARC copy was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story line!
Typically this type of romance wouldn’t really be my sort of book, but I’m so glad I decided to give it a try!
Their banter was amazing and I loved that their unique interests were respected by one another, instead of competing for whose was best they simple accepted the other as they were.
People say loving someone is knowing them and these two really did know each other as the book progressed!
I can’t wait to read more books by this author and want to thank everyone involved for the opportunity!
I will be posting my review on Goodreads by tomorrow at the latest, I will either email the publisher or leave the link here afterwards!

Love Felix probably one of my fav book boyfriends yet! Book was very fun and funny keep me engaged on every page. I lost track of time reading this book!

Thank you, Author Elle M. Stewart, and NetGalley for the ARC of this debut novel! All opinions are my own.

I would like to preface this and say that I’m not super into DnD or similar games. I have an appreciation for the dedication and work that goes into playing, but I’ve never gotten into it myself. That being said, I was very excited to read this book because I’m trying to branch out into different aspects of romance, and who doesn’t like a book with a hot librarian?! Speaking of hot librarians, let’s talk about our MMC Felix! He was so great throughout the book. He was kind, considerate, and so romantic! It really struck me that he was just such a good person whether he was in a platonic relationship with our FMC Jo or a romantic one. Ugh I could go on forever about Felix, but on to Jo. I really liked Jo. I liked that she was learning to stand up for herself and was learning to set her own personal boundaries. She was stuck in that horrible relationship for 10 years and man did Jermey do a number on her, which I feel like (unfortunately) many people can relate to.

I enjoyed the plot line of the book because it was pretty believable. There was a build up to the relationship of the main characters. I will say the pacing in the second half of the book was a little quick for me, especially towards the end of the book. Overall though, if you’re looking for a little nerdy romance, give Taking Initiative a read!

This was such a great debut novel. I found myself giggling and kicking my feet for the majority of the first half. I didn't love the pacing and sometimes Felix from the second half felt like a totally different character. There were a few moments from him that really threw me out of the story, but overall was so much fun. I'm not a DnDer myself, but I appreciate the storytelling and how it brings people together in this book.