I was given an advanced copy in exchange for my review. This is my honest opinion I am giving voluntarily. So the beginning was kind of confusing and the outpour of information to further explain some things was a little unnecessary but besides that it doesn’t take long for the actual book to begin. Fair warning you just have to get to chapter 5 for things to really pick up. The game being explained to the MMC was confusing as someone who does not play those type of games but if you just keep moving forward it’s really not a big deal. This was really cute with found family and definitely had some spice.

This was a nice and sweet romance with characters that were easy to root for. My husband plays DnD with a regular group so I really liked all the references and gaming scenes.

What a delightful read! Despite a sort of abrupt start to the book, I found myself really engaged and rooting for the characters. I am not a big gamer, but I liked the way the DnD style game was embraced and used to build out the story. Plus, the found family they built was quite charming.

This book was a fun surprise and a fair bit spicier than I anticipated. Four stars overall.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read this book because a big chunk of it was about an RPG (in the book it’s called MnM). My husband is a GM for Pathfinder (a very similar game) so I was excited to get more insight and see it from the player’s perspective. This book did not let me down in that regard! I did get confused at times by the game but I think that’s par for the course.

This book portrays two normal people who want to come together but find that they have some healing to do first. I really loved Jo and Felix’ characters, as well as them together. They were very different people but complimented each other so well, and were so supportive of the other. I could feel their chemistry and angst which I loved!

I also appreciated that these are people who are in their mid-30s who don’t have it all together. I feel like this is becoming the norm for this generation. They’re two imperfect people taking each other’s needs and wants into consideration and providing the breadth for them to be themselves and take the time to heal.

This book was MUCH spicier than I anticipated (not my thing), but if it’s not your thing then you can easily skim/skip those chapters without missing crucial components of their story.

Taking Initiative By Elle Stewart
Release date 25th June 2024
Rating 5 stars 9.21 CAWPILE
Calling all roleplaying nerds and romance readers, this book is about to change your life like it had mine. I am so thankful for Elle for allowing me to read this book, because my little geek heart loved every second of it, as I sit here surrounded by my tabletop merch and books as I type I feel that this book was made for me…
Have you ever felt that you shouldn’t embrace your nerdiness and you have to hide who you are? This is where we meet Jo, who is getting out of a relationship where she has had to hide part of her and this being her love for MNM Monsters and Mythology, I loved Jo from the moments she walked onto the page and began talking about her love for a game, and it resonated with me, as someone who has just decided to fully not hide my love for the geekiness in my life I feel that it was something I needed to learn.
She then meets Felix who is a complete newbie to the game and is trying to use the game to help his place of work stay a float but he finds that there is something unique is a game that is all about the roll of a dice.
The banter between the two was so funny that I laughed out loud a few times, the in jokes about Dice Goblins and dice jails made me laugh because it was like seeing people who love the game so much and that was what came from the page.

Although this book is about love of Felix and Jo and how they navigate that trust me there were times I would shout nooo he loves you damn it. It is also about acceptance that you do not have to change who you are because if someone doesn’t love you and your nerdiness and all then that person does not deserve you and I think this is what struck me the most yes there was sex scenes, yes it was funny but at its core it was about the people that we meet in our lives and what they give us even if it is in our little fantasy world of make believe.. I would 1000 percent read more from this author and if it was all to do with MnM I would be so down for it. This book came at the right time for me to remind me that you are you are, and your dice addiction is not a bad thing, we sometimes just need to find the person who gets us in this crazy world we have that is real life.

Review will go up on instagram 28th May.. because I need to gush about this book

Such a fun, nerdy rom com! I love all of the DND ( called MnM in the book) references. The characters were so sweet together and despite them falling in love very quickly I really enjoyed their romance. The spice was also so fun and different from a lot of the typical spice in romance books! Definitely worth the read.

"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 expects to roll some dice and maybe even make some Monsters & Mythology friends. But instead of finding a friendly group of gamers, she stumbles upon a gorgeous librarian seriously in over his head."

It has gaming! I love this! It is right up my D&D loving alley and the hot librarian trope, YES PLEASE.

An easy and lovely book to read, I recommend it to anyone looking for that perfect relaxing read that keeps you interested and has good writing. The world and characters are well written. A fabulous debut.

What a wonderful debut book! I love TTRPG and I absolutely love that someone wrote a book about it! This is a fast paced, nerdy romance with all the elements you could want. This book features a small town romance, fresh start, he falls first, hot librarian, nerdy games, and characters in their 30s who actually ACT LIKE characters in their 30s. So often, authors write characters who are in their 30s but act like they are so immature and childish. The author did such a great job with Felix and Jo and made me really love them and root for them as a couple. They have actual jobs and hobbies that you can relate to, and are very normal people just falling in love... and playing games! The spice in this book was PERFECTION; it felt right for the characters and was so hot, but also without being too much or overpowering the story. I can also totally relate to Jo's fears that her interests are too weird and people will find her off putting, particularly men and that a man will not want to be in a relationship with her. This part really resonated with me because I have felt that way before too. This is such a fun and sweet book and definitely worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Elle M. Stewart for the eARC of this book!

I really enjoyed this fast paced, nerdy romance. It was definitely relatable and refreshing for the characters to be in their thirties. The character growth was honest and believable. I really loved this!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

☆ He falls first
☆ Small town romance
☆ Hot librarian
☆ Fresh start

This book was everything I wanted! I’ve been struggling to find a book to get into lately and this one cured me. Finished it in a day and absolutely loved it.
I loved every single character and the chemistry between Jo and Felix is so, so good.
Pacing was great, the side characters were all very fun and likeable and there was a perfect amount of spice.

I really enjoyed this book. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

This couple was so darn cute! I enjoyed their banter and the relationship they crafted. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

An wonderfully fun and entertaining novel, Taking Initiative is a beautiful debut! In search of a fresh start after her breakup, Jo has moved to small Kansas town and finds herself the only attendee at the local library's first ever Monsters and Mythology (MnM) game night. When it quickly becomes clear that the librarian, Felix, is woefully unprepared to be a Game Master (GM), Jo finds herself agreeing to teach him everything he needs to know. What ensues is a absolutely delightful (and spicy) romance filled with overly formal emails, heartwarming friendships, and plenty of TTRPG.

I enjoyed every moment of this story, from the heavy to the laugh out loud, and wish so badly that I could watch GM Jo do her thing. Felix is so sweet and I loved watching him go on his MnM journey, especially when he realized how much it means to Jo. This was a romance that felt genuine to me - the pacing was perfect and the character growth was front and center. A sort of love letter to TTRPG, Taking Initiative was a pure joy to read and I can't wait to see more from Elle M. Stewart.

First things first, I want to say thank you so much to NetGalley and Elle M. Stewart for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest and fair review.

Reading log 21.5.24-22.5.24

spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

fluff: 4/5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Taking initiative is such a beautiful book and it took me through a rollercoaster of emotions.

When it comes to specifics, I love the initial tension and Felix’s attempts to remain professional with Jo and as someone who loves games I felt like this book was perfect and accurately reflected the reality of how amazing the bonds are that we make through games.

Character wise, I think the dynamic between Felix and Tito is so cute and it made me giggle when they spoke to each other about Jo but I also love how they can confide in each other and how sweet Felix is to be there to support Tito.

From the very start I was left wondering if Felix saw the text on Jo’s phone and I love how consistent this part of the plot was, I would have been heartbroken if it wasn’t mentioned again and I audibly gasped when Felix mentioned it.

The only thing which I disliked about this book personally is that from the start, I loved how Jo and Felix always spoke about their problems and dealt with them together rationally without arguing so when they decided to take a break towards the end I think it made me uneasy. Then again, I think this was necessary to enable Jo to get help and for Felix to understand her situation.

Overall, taking initiative is a steamy, fast paced book with lots of cute moments and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves games and the bonds and relationships which we can create through such a special mutual interest

I really enjoyed this story! The characters felt mature with real struggles and not immature issues like you sometimes see in other romances. I loved all the side characters, the plot, the setting(s), and the gaming! This book was a feel good romance full of hot spice and love.

The playing Baldur's Gate 3 to binge-ing Critical Role to reading two romance books inspired by Dungeons and Dragons in the space of a couple of months pipeline

I cannot overstate how much of a breath of fresh air it was to read about characters who are introduced as being in their 30s and behave like they're in their 30s, not like they're in middle school. Their personalities are fleshed out very well - I had a realisation while reading that I could see myself in both main characters which is very rare for me, but between Jo's day job working in healthcare, her fears that her interests are weird or too much for people who aren't already in her inner circle, and Felix's resignation in his personal life, his quiet curiosity about table top RPG-ing after seeing the spark it alights in Jo but grappling with being too analytical to immerse himself in it the same way that he sees others do it.. I was sitting there like *insert "is this play about us?" gif from euphoria here*

Their connection felt very genuine but didn't overshadow platonic relationships in the book - Aida is a treasure and Tito was just the sweetest.

I really liked the author's disclaimer about language and not othering the second language in the book by italicizing it or immediately translating it rendering it less effective, but instead encouraging readers to look up the phrases.

Also the mention of "To Flavortown and Back Again" and Guy-Fae-eri in the acknowledgements has taken me out and I'm going to need that one-shot 👀

Really enjoyed this debut!

Thank you so much to the author, Elle M. Stewart and NetGalley for giving me the joy of reading the arc of Elle’s debut novel.

And a beautiful debut it was. As a TTRPG-fan for almost a decade, the title and cover had me hooked and the plot never let me off of it. I loved the relationships, both platonic and romantic, were so interwoven to create a story that made me both laugh out loud, kick my feet and giggle, alongside having me confront my own thoughts on love after a rocky relationship.

It was a challenge to put the book down, so I barely did. I am so thrilled this book came into my life when it did and I cannot wait for others to experience its nerdy charm, its spicy moments, and overall love letter-esque quality to TTRPG and how we navigate the many loves in our lives.

Taking Initiative by Elle M. Stewart
Rating:4/5
Release Date: 25 June 2024

After enduring a broken heart, Jo Rainier eagerly seeks a fresh start in a new Kansas town. Entering her local library's inaugural game night, she anticipates rolling dice and perhaps forging connections with fellow enthusiasts of Monsters & Mythology. Instead, she encounters a striking librarian who seems overwhelmed.

Felix Navarro is determined to safeguard his job to support his elderly grandfather. Hoping a game night will bolster the library's attendance—and its budget—he faces a hurdle: he's a pragmatic individual who's never delved into roleplaying. Fortunately, Jo, a seasoned MnM Game Master, offers to guide him, especially if it means spending more time together.

As they convene at the gaming table, Jo unveils Felix's tender side, while Felix finds himself swiftly falling for Jo's charisma, intellect, and imaginative spirit. Their connection ignites into something more during a shared hotel room stay at an MnM convention. However, reality hits upon their return home. Amidst deepening affection, Jo's past scars inflicted by her toxic ex resurface, casting doubt on Felix's genuine affection.

In “Taking Initiative” romance intertwines seamlessly with nerdy fun as Jo and Felix explore the realm of gaming and budding love.

Jo's mastery of MnM brings a captivating element to their bond, while Felix's sincerity and commitment to his family evoke heartfelt emotions.

Despite initial hiccups, their chemistry sparks not only at the gaming table but also in their everyday interactions.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it if you’re looking for a book that has all the feels and will most definitely leave a smile on your face.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Elle M. Stewart, and the author, Elle M. Stewart, for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I DEVOURED this book. I loved just about everything about it.

-the characters are actually adults in their 30’s which I found refreshing.

- I love how the main characters were super relatable. They had relatable hobbies and job.

-I liked the spicy scenes, but I loved how they didn’t overpower the book, just added to the story.


All in all it was amazing and I know a couple people that I will be telling about this book because they will love it too.

Well I thought this book was really good, I think me knowing a little more about gaming would have helped. Especially MnM. But don’t let that stop you from reading this story. Felix and Jo are great. The side characters are great. Felix was a wonderful book boyfriend. Jo was wonderful as well. She just had to get through some stuff before she could fully commit. I wish her past relationship hadn’t caused those hurts for her. Felix was so patient and understanding.
I now know more about MnM gaming so that is a bonus!

Title: Taking Initiative by Elle M. Stewart
Release Date: June, 25th, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Stars

In this quirky and charming tale, Jo Rainier seeks a fresh start in a small Kansas town after a heartbreak. Expecting a simple game night at the local library, she encounters a handsome but overwhelmed librarian instead of the anticipated group of gamers.


"Taking Initiative" by Elle M. Stewart is like diving into a warm hug of romance and real-life struggles. Jo and Felix's connection feels so genuine as they navigate their personal challenges together.

Their chemistry is electric, whether they're rolling dice or stealing private moments. Felix's devotion to his family adds layers to his character, making him even more lovable. Despite the hurdles, their journey to love is both heartwarming and captivating.

If you're in the mood for a romance that feels as real as it gets, "Taking Initiative" is the perfect pick-me-up.

Thank you to The Author Elle M. Stewart & NetGalley for an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.