Penguin Random House Announces New D&D Romantasy Book

Penguin Random House has announced The Feywild Job, a new D&D novel written by World Fantasy Award and Nebula-winning writer CL Polk. The new book is a romantasy novel, a popular and wildly growing book genre. The book features a rogue tasked with stealing a gem called "The Kiss of Enduring Love" and is teamed up with their ex-lover, a bard. The twist to the novel is that the rogue has a magical pact granting them powers in exchange for never falling in love.

The new novel is written by CL Polk, a writer with serious bonafides in the fantasy community. Polk's debut novel Witchmark won the World Fantasy Award in 2019 and their 2022 novella Even Though I Knew The End won the Nebula Award for Best Novella that year. Based on their website, this appears to be Polk's first foray into licensed media.

Below is the full description for The Feywild Job. The book will be released on June 30, 2026.

Sparks fly when bitter exes are forced to team up for an elaborate Feywild heist, in this cozy fantasy romance by the bestselling author of the Kingston Cycle and Even Though I Knew the End.

Saeldian has sworn never to fall in love. That oath isn’t just a personal promise, but rather a magical pact, granting them powerful abilities. The only catch? They must never give their heart away—a deal that Saeldian is perfectly content with. They’ve seen firsthand how messy love can get.

Saeldian prefers their no-strings-attached life as a con artist, pulling off heists and leaving a trail of broken hearts behind them. But when a grift goes horribly wrong, they catch the eye of a mysterious patron with a job offer they can’t refuse.

The mission? Steal a gem called “The Kiss of Enduring Love” and return it to the Feywild. Simple enough, until Saeldian discovers their ex-partner, Kell—a charming bard—is part of the team.
The last time Saeldian saw Kell, things hardly ended on good terms. A kiss became a betrayal, leaving Kell hurt and confused for almost a decade. But Kell can’t just walk away—not when this job might finally be his ticket back to the Feywild.

Forced to work together again, their adventure takes them from high-society parties to Feywild couple’s therapy. But as Saeldian and Kell rekindle their chemistry, they realize the gem is much more than a fey bauble, and their simple heist has summoned powerful enemies. . . .

 

[FoolishFrost]

Dawg I'm literally going to a meeting of queer sci-fi/fantasy publishing professionals in a few hours; you wanna say to my face what "literary lane" you want me to stay in?

Back that up a touch.

I will always say things to your face. That’s how discourse works. You don’t have to agree with me, and that’s fine. As far as ‘queer’ in this context? That’s lucrative and there are tons of it out there published.

I also didn’t say I wanted you to stay in a lane. Never even hinted at it. I said publishing channels want it. This is a basic truth, they want books that sell. They look at what is selling. The quantify it into genre and tropes. They want more of what sells.

If you mix genres, heist and cozy romance, publishers pull back. Yes, you might get someone to look at it and publish it. And maybe you have to self publish or sit on it for a bit until you have something else sold under your name.

Anyway, my main point was that D&D is about adventure novels. Often high stakes, grand adventures. Dragonlance, forgotten realms, spelljammer, Planescape? Tons of novels. Romance was SOMETIMES a subplot. Never cozy, except as something to baseline how disrupted the characters lives are when the adventure starts.

But yeah. They probably want onto the romance train. I just hope Wizards can leave the author alone to make something good, as opposed to micromanaging it into… well. Something not.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I mean like, I'm a straight-as-they-come male and I'm incredibly excited for this. I will say my sister in law, who is queer, is also squarely in the target demographic, so that would probably be the demo most people associate with romantasy stuff like this, but don't put us boring dudes in a genre box either!

I'm not sure your typical, but what do I know.

I mean its not my jam, but I'm happy for those it is there jam. I am curious if its set in the general feywild or a Domain of Delight.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Romantancy is simply another dungeon the adventurer that is D&D will plunder for gold and stuff. No genre is beyond the grasp of D&D!

 

[Tea Cozy]

If you mix genres, heist and cozy romance, publishers pull back. Yes, you might get someone to look at it and publish it. And maybe you have to self publish or sit on it for a bit until you have something else sold under your name.

Isn't the heist just the plot the cozy romance hangs on? The blurb is very little about the job itself, and mostly about the two characters, their past, and the romance. Romance does stuff like that.

Anyway, my main point was that D&D is about adventure novels. Often high stakes, grand adventures. Dragonlance, forgotten realms, spelljammer, Planescape? Tons of novels. Romance was SOMETIMES a subplot. Never cozy, except as something to baseline how disrupted the characters lives are when the adventure starts.

It's weird. I can see the type of reader this book is aimed at clearly. If anyone was going to try D&D-branded cozy romance, it's this type. Hell, a lot of them are probably already into the game, or at least enjoy watching Critical Role or Dimension 20.

Where is the fun trashy romance novel cover? Where's a Fabio?

Try Critical Role's Tusk Love instead? It was a NYT Bestseller. For real.

 

[slobster]

I'm not sure your typical, but what do I know.

No, I'm definitely exceptional.

 

[bedir than]

Try Critical Role's Tusk Love instead? It was a NYT Bestseller. For real.

Or Legends & Lattes which was nominated for a Hugo, a Nebula and a Locus while winning Travis Baldree the Astounding Award for best new writer. It's also not the Fourth Wing style BIG MAN with tiny woman lovers style.

This genre can do extremely well and is quite accepting of queer romance.

 

[Tea Cozy]

Or Legends & Lattes which was nominated for a Hugo, a Nebula and a Locus while winning Travis Baldree the Astounding Award for best new writer. It's also not the Fourth Wing style BIG MAN with tiny woman lovers style.

This genre can do extremely well and is quite accepting of queer romance.

Well, I mentioned Tusk Love in that particular reply because the half-Orc dude is a bit Fabio-esque. It’s not cozy, but in the steamy vein.

I definitely gave Legends and Lattes a shout out earlier in the thread as an example of the readers The Feywild Job is aiming at.

 

[bedir than]

Well, I mentioned Tusk Love in that particular reply because the half-Orc dude is a bit Fabio-esque. It’s not cozy, but in the steamy vein.

I definitely gave Legends and Lattes a shout out earlier in the thread as an example of the readers The Feywild Job is aiming at.

I find Viv to be buff in the Fabio style

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Anyway, my main point was that D&D is about adventure novels. Often high stakes, grand adventures. Dragonlance, forgotten realms, spelljammer, Planescape? Tons of novels. Romance was SOMETIMES a subplot. Never cozy, except as something to baseline how disrupted the characters lives are when the adventure starts.

The heyday of those novels and settings was decades ago. This is not a book being produced for Gen X and Baby Boomers who do annual rereads of Dragonlance Legends. This is a book for a (mostly) Millennial and Gen Z audience who are interested in different things.

What D&D is "about" changes over time, the same way as popular music changes over time. If it's not for you, that's fine, but I suspect this is going to be a very big seller -- note that they're getting a writer with an established romantasy audience to write this, rather than just tapping someone new or a game developer to do it.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The person I know who is a Forth Wing fan is a boomer, I don’t think the readership is necessary young. But the older D&D players tend to skew male, since the game wasn’t marketed to girls back then.

Making the book not-spicy probably reflects Hasbro’s “don’t do anything to disturb the parents” policy. I would take it to mean it won’t have explicit sex, rather than it will avoid dark topics and perilous situations.

As for the heist, most literary romances have some kind of adventure element. It’s really just movies that lock romance in an eternal embrace with comedy. Which I guess is why people were confused by The Gorge.