Role Playing by Cathy Yardley
pages: 331
released: July 2023
publisher: Montlake
cover love: ♥♥♥♥♥
Summary:
Maggie is an unapologetically grumpy forty-eight-year-old hermit. But when her college-aged son makes her a deal―he’ll be more social if she does the same―she can’t refuse. She joins a new online gaming guild led by a friendly healer named Otter. So that nobody gets the wrong idea, she calls herself Bogwitch. Otter is Aiden, a fifty-year-old optimist using the guild as an emotional outlet from his family drama caring for his aging mother while his brother plays house with Aiden’s ex-fiancée. Bogwitch and Otter become fast virtual friends, but there’s a catch. Bogwitch thinks Otter is a college student. Otter assumes Bogwitch is an octogenarian. When they finally meet face to face―after a rocky, shocking start―the unlikely pair of sunshine and stormy personalities grow tentatively closer. But Maggie’s previous relationships have left her bitter, and Aiden’s got a complicated past of his own. Everything’s easier online. Can they make it work in real life? (from Goodreads)
Review:
Last September, I was looking for a little cozy romance to read and thought Role Playing would be right up my alley. An awkward mom in her forties, who’s also a gamer and trying to navigate dating…? Very relatable.
Divorcee, Maggie Le, has just made a deal with her son, who’s gone away to college: she’ll be more social if he does the same. So, in an effort to be the oh-so-ever encouraging mom, Maggie begins attending local books clubs and football parties. But she’s really shining in the online game guild she’s joined with other members from her community. She’s never met them irl, but considers gaming with them a more comfortable form of socializing. Even if they’re probably half her age, she can really be herself within the group. Especially with the leader, Otter. Soon, the pair are texting more and more outside of the guild…and not about gaming. When she learns that he injured his ankle and can’t drive to town for groceries, she volunteers to go over and lend a hand. Even though she likes talking to him and feels a closeness growing, she tells herself not to read too much into their friendship. Besides, he’s a teenager in college, right? Well…when they meet face-to-face, turns out Otter (aka Aiden), who she assumed was 18, is actually 50! And a hot ginger! And to Aiden’s surprise, Maggie was not an 80 year old woman who swore a lot. She was 48 and not hideous as her username (Bogwitch) would suggest.
It took a little while to get into the story, but then it started to grow on me. In the beginning, I was hooked and totally invested in Maggie and Aiden’s love story. Would they ever meet in real life or keep in online? How would they finally meet? Is there going to be any spice in their romance? I had to know how things would finally play out!
Sadly, once their true identities were revealed, the book took an unexpected turn. South. I noticed the story slowing down immensely around the halfway mark. The story had certain elements that really worked for it. We had characters that didn’t annoy me with their “try-hard” banter, we had Maggie’s savory cooking which brought culture to the table and we had gaming! But then the plot took a nose dive, causing the story to lose its entertainment value. There was just very little going on…there was no kissing, no heat or tension, hardly anything romantic happening. The spice level is very low, it’s actually none existent. I know the couple is older, I get it and I don’t need this book to be full of filth but come on, give me something!!!
Overall, I enjoyed where this book was going…but unfortunately it just fizzled out very quickly and became a dull read for the remainder of the story. It was a cozy read but felt like it was missing a big chunk of romance.
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