Paula’s life revolves around two things: RPG and her friends. Everything else is secondary… her job, her exercise regimen, finding love. It doesn’t help that she feels like she’s not very good at her job and not the right type of girl to sweep the tall, well-dressed Luis off his feet.
Joe is an ocean away from the two people he loves the most: Dillon and Sandy. A new job, new people to play with, and a whole new world of problems. This should be simple, but Paula GMing style clashes with him (as does a few of her friends).
Can the two get past their differences and somehow manage to run a successful game? Even better, will something new blossom out of the wreckage of both of their lives?
Style:
I don’t know why, but I feel like I’m falling in love with LitRPG. It’s almost like two stories wrapped up into one— the main “real world” story and then the campaign. This litRPG novel is somehow nothing like the others I’ve read, and yet, I love it none the less.
Like I said, two stories in one here! And I feel like that takes special talent! Not only do we have two well-balanced storylines that interweave absolutely seamlessly, we also have two sides to EACH character. Honestly, the level of skill this would take to write blows my mind. Each different POV is written so distinctively that I had absolutely no trouble bouncing from eye to eye, and I enjoyed each and every one of them.
While it is an indeed complex book in the layers of characters and plot lines, the style isn’t over complex. It was very easy to follow and understand from beginning to end. It was a average length read that took me about a week. With my busy schedule, that’s about normal.
Characters:
I’ve kind of talked about this already, but I can’t praise Messick enough for her talent in characterization. Honestly, every single character she wrote is a separate individual, and they all stood out from each other. No bleeding over or confusion at all.
The main characters are by far Some of my favorite I’ve read in a while. Paula is the epitome of a relatable character—less than confident, less than perfect, less than traditionally beautiful, and definitely not without fault. At the same time, though, she cares endlessly for her friends and would go to any lengths to ensure their happiness and safety. I was constantly rooting for her, even when I wanted to strangle her for not kicking Business Suit (for spoiler’s sake, I won’t say his name) out the moment he started being a controlling jerk.
Joe is not as perfect as Paula is in my eyes, but I like that he’s the typical protective male type without being too overbearing on anyone. He also has lingering issues, but don’t we all? And I mean, I love a woman fixing a troubled man. 😂😂
Overall, no complaints on characters! Last note: I appreciate that the office cat had his own chapters! It really added to the story in a unique way. I’ve never seen anything like that before. It was fantastic and hilarious.
Plot:
I don’t want to go too deeply into this, because I want everyone who reads this to go pick up a copy of this book. You NEED to. I don’t say that lightly.
I often abuse the term “page-turner” because I am a known book-aholic. I won’t deny that. But this book was indeed a page-turner. It had absolutely everything you might want– romance, action, fantasy, RPG. You name it, this book had it. The action kept me reading long after I was supposed to be in bed and brought me back after I finally had no choice but to put it down. The romance had me squealing and swooning (and even wanting to smack someone), but it wasn’t so overly done that I felt like gagging. And then THE FANTASY. I don’t do fantasy. I feel like a fish thrown into a desert when I read it. But this was simple enough (and well explained) that I wasn’t confused.
My one complaint was that the epilogue (I’d have to check back, but it was post-story definitely) didn’t really feel necessary. The story felt nice and wrapped up with a pretty red bow on the top, and then– there’s more?
Even if you’re not a RPG player– you NEED this book. You won’t regret it. I’m giving it a full 10/10.
You can buy the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Wizards-Wives-Tales-Adventure-Rolling-ebook/dp/B08JTGW2G6
AND follow Kate Messick on the following social media sites:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KateMessickAuthor
Her blog: https://justapotato.com/
Sconnie Books 