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. . . .

 

[Dire Bare]

Those are the most popular, but there is a niche within the genre for queer and NB romances. I would bet the crossover between that niche and romantasy readers who play D&D is pretty high.

I've read a grand total of one romantasy novel, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, and it included a queer romance. Good book!

From a remote view, I got the impression that many romantasy stories were very queer friendly, even if the main romance was straight. Source: skimming back cover blurbs and lurking in online discussions.

 

[Dire Bare]

Exactly. Fiction like this makes sense, but where are the supporting mechanics?

I'm not sure we need mechanics for romance, but perhaps some guidelines. I dunno.

I think WotC putting out a romantasy supplement for the game would be a wise move.

 

[Tea Cozy]

I'm not actually sure how much crossover appeal this will have with the romantasy fanbase, which seems largely interested in cookie-cutter hetero romances between small women and large men.

That subset of the fanbase might be less likely to read something associated with the D&D brand anyway. I can see why they are aiming toward other parts of the romantasy fanbase. The parts that are also into Legends and Lattes or similar.

I almost said “or enjoyed BG3,” but that crowd would probably expect more spice.

 

[Charlaquin]

On the subject of NB romance, the artwork shows one character with short hair and a stringed instrument, I’m guessing that’s the ex-lover the blurb describes as a bard. The other person in the art is presumably the main character. They are both pretty androgynous, but the bard appears more typically-masculine and the presumed main character appears more typically-feminine. So, it’s quite possible that this will still fit the large masculine partner, small feminine partner mold. That would, unfortunately, play into the “AFAB nonbinary people are just tomboyish women” stereotype, so I hope that I’m wrong. But, I wouldn’t be surprised.

 

[Charlaquin]

Interesting. Why do you think so?

Queer and nonbinary folks are wildly over-represented within the RPG fandom. (That is to say, the demographics of RPG fans have a much larger proportion of queer and NB people than the general population). Turns out, a leisure activity that explicitly encourages playing with identity is very appealing to people whose identities don’t fit neatly into the mold they were assigned in their daily lives. And, queer and NB people who enjoy roleplaying tend to enjoy fantasy in general. And since queer and NB representation is hard to come by, we tend to seek it out wherever we can, including (perhaps even especially) in romance fiction.

 

[slobster]

I love this idea so much that I recovered my password on an account I haven't touched in a decade to gush happily about it.

Of course the actual quality of the book can't be known until it's out to read, but the concept of a cozy Legends and Lattes style story is great. That sub-sub-genre already owes so much to D&D and fantasy RPGs in the first place, I guarantee there will be readers who might be interested in a D&D thing for the first time through this, and be shocked at how familiar the world feels to them.

I read widely and love all sorts of genre fiction, from Lovecraft to Sanderson to Prattchett to Moorcock to Travis Baldree, and it feels like a breath of fresh air for D&D to officially try to explore this little niche of fantasy fandom.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

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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.

This is brilliant. The biggest fantasy fan I know reads a ton of romantasy -- it's where much of the market is in 2026.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Hmm...I wonder if genre expectations will clash with corporate squeamishness here. I've read a handful of romantasy books my wife recommended, and they are incredibly graphic at times.

Book of Erotic Fantasy 2025 edition when?

 

[Alzrius]

it feels like a breath of fresh air for D&D to officially try to explore this little niche of fantasy fandom.

It's worth noting that this isn't D&D's first attempt at "romantasy" novels; that would be the HeartQuest series of books (though, to be fair, those were choose-your-own-adventure books, so it may not count).

Which reminds me that I bought the first of those novels at Gen Con in 2024 and still haven't given it a look.

 

[TerraDave]

Book of Erotic Fantasy 2025 edition when?

I think this is what I was trying to say.