Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Talisman of Valdegarde | 1983 | Kate Novak | Buy |
| 2 | Isle of Illusion | 1983 | Kate Novak | Buy |
| 3 | Ring of the Ruby Dragon | 1983 | Kate Novak | Buy |
| 4 | Moon Dragon Summer | 1984 | Kate Novak | Buy |
| 5 | Lady of the Winds | 1984 | Kate Novak | Buy |
Heart Quest was TSR’s attempt to bring interactive fiction to a female teenage audience during the gamebook boom of the early 1980s. A spin-off from the popular Endless Quest line, each Heart Quest book let readers choose their own path through a fantasy story that mixed adventure with romance, all set within the Dungeons and Dragons universe.
The first four titles were released together in November 1983, with two more following in 1984. Multiple authors contributed to the line, including Jeannie Black (Ring of the Ruby Dragon), Madeleine Simon (Talisman of Valdegarde), Linda Lowery (Moon Dragon Summer), and Kate Novak (Lady of the Winds). The stories put readers in the role of a young woman facing magical threats and romantic choices. Talisman of Valdegarde, for instance, casts the reader as Gwynne, a druid priestess-in-training defending her kingdom from the evil Lytir. The series is a curiosity of its era, reflecting both the peak of the gamebook craze and TSR’s effort to broaden the D&D brand beyond its traditional audience.