One of the themes I’ve noticed in NA books is that the MC has often gone through a big event (break up, losing a job, death of a parent, etc.) and doesn’t know quite how to pick themselves back up again. The MC, Emily, has gone through a break-up and is not retreating to a small town in order to take care of her teen-aged niece and older sister who broke her leg in a car accident. Emily thinks she’s only there temporarily and while she struggled to find a niche with her now ex-boyfriend, we see her slowly make a path for herself. I enjoyed this sort of enemies-to-lovers trope between Simon and Emily. The things Emily learns about Simon, all the pressure he puts on himself, really tugs on your heartstrings, and I like how he and Emily come together, pushing past their dislike of each other because it all came out to be a misunderstanding. We see them hit it off early, and then Emily’s confusion and who Simon really is. I’m glad we learn who he truly is through Emily’s eyes.

I love that this revolved around a Renaissance Fair, too. It seemed like Simon and Emily found a connection early on, but it also brought on some confusion on Emily’s part because she had to break down Simon as a person to find out who he truly was. The same goes from Emily and her relationship with her sister, April. They have a wide age gap. Emily admits she never felt particular close to her sister when she was younger, and I like how this has given the two sisters a chance to get to know one another. Good siblings relationships is always something I root for.

I enjoyed all of the characters in this book! I liked how each of them took Emily in and made her feel welcome and a part of the small town because that was something Emily hadn’t experienced before with her ex-boyfriend. Again, the budding sibling relationship with April and the gradual romance with Simon was really fun to read. It was heart-breaking to read the need Simon felt to continue on the Faire, and I’m glad he was able to talk through some of it with Emily.

Emily was a good main character. The internal struggle she has due to how her ex-boyfriend left her and trying to reconcile this with her feelings for Simon was done really well. It makes you feel sad for Emily, but glad that she can overcome them.

Completely enjoyable! I flew through this book pretty quickly, and I find I do that easier when the writing isn’t bogged down. I’ll definitely read more of DeLuca’s works, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store.

3.5 - 4 stars

This was a really cute and sweet read. It had a nice enemies to lovers vibe, but also stressed the importance of putting yourself first and knowing your worth. It started a bit slowly for me, but I loved the Renaissance Faire backdrop and small town location. I had no idea how much work and preparation went into putting on this kind of event. Though very interesting, sometimes I found myself overwhelmed by all the details and descriptions of the Faire itself. I would have loved to have more time spent with the colorful cast of characters interacting in the space with each other.

I liked Emily and Simon, but I'm not sure I really felt the connection that got them from point A to B. Things were very sweet between them once it all came together (the wooing!), but I think a little more time in the enemies zone would have built up more tension and anticipation for me. I really enjoyed them as Emma and Captain Blackthorne though, and those interactions really made me smile and swoon.

I appreciated how family dynamics, sibling relationships, and familial/societal obligations were explored in this book. The difference between doing something you think you should do versus something you choose to do. The ending and epilogue were adorable and left me with a goofy grin on my face. Well Met had some emotional surprises I wasn't expecting, but I really enjoyed this debut novel by Jen DeLuca. I'm hoping we see stories for Stacey and April (maybe with Kilty ;)) in the future.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, in part because I knew the hero was inspired by Captain Hook from Once Upon A Time. It’s a gem of a debut from Jen DeLuca and I haven’t stopped swooning with love for it.

Emily is in a major transition period of her life. She was summarily dumped by the man she thought she was going to marry after years of putting her own life on hold to support his schooling and future career. She heads to her sister’s small town to take over as caregiver while her sister recovers from a car accident. Part of her responsibilities include volunteering for the summer Run Faire so her teen niece can participate. Emily is grateful for the chance to reconnect with her family while she figures out her next steps, even if she didn’t anticipate becoming a tavern wench in the process.

There’s a lot to love about Emily. It was refreshing to read about a character who dropped out of college and hear how she feels about the decision now and whether she really wants to go back to school. I also loved how she felt about the town and its people, the way she’d been looking for a place to call her own and stumbled right into it. This really resonated with me. Her character arc was so strong as she took ownership of her life and figured out how to move forward after having put her own needs on hold for so long.

Then there’s her antagonistic relationship with Simon, who’s in charge of the faire.

Simon is basically my dream man. He’s a high school English teacher by schoolyear, Ren Faire pirate by summer. More than that, he’s a cinnamon roll disguised as an uptight grump. (If you don't picture Simon as Captain Hook/Colin O’Donoghue while you're reading, you're doing it wrong.) Of course, Simon has Reasons for being such a grump. Simon’s arc is a moving exploration of grief and how grief can evolve as the years progress. He has to figure out who he is apart from his loss and how to integrate it into his future.

And then there’s Emily and Simon together. I get weak in the knees for their banter. It’s such a simmering slow burn between them and when they finally give into their attraction: fireworks! I loved every part of their relationship. There were so many swoon-worthy moments: piles of roses delivered at the faire! He makes her breakfast! He sets out to woo her! Gah, be still my heart.

But they also have to figure out how they are together in real life, versus how they are as their Ren Faire characters. There’s some great exploration about identity, expectations, and the masks we wear. Simon, particularly, feels free to let loose at the Faire in ways he never does in his normal day to day. Who is he really: the pirate Captain Blackthorne or Simon the English teacher? He needs to figure out how to accept both sides of himself and figure out what he really wants.

The side characters are just as amazing as the main couple: sister April, niece Caitlin, Chris, Stacey, the bookstore-owning Queen. I loved all the people who featured into this story. And I especially loved Read It And Weep, where Emily starts working. I would like to go there immediately.

This book made me so happy! There’s so much humor and heart. It also made me want to go to a ren faire asap. Whenever it happens, I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for a Simon of my own.

I do want to note this is a very white book. Not only is there nary a person of color in town (at least, depicted on the page), April decided to move there so her daughter wouldn’t have to attend Baltimore schools. There can be all kinds of valid reasons people don't want to live in cities but she didn't say why, which made me think of the implications of Baltimore's reputation and how white people might react to that. It stood out to me as a white reader and I can't help but wonder how POC readers might feel.

CW: past death of a sibling due to non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, grief, car accident

I don't know anything about Renaissance Faires, so this was a really fun setting to read. I didn't think that the romance had a good spark though.

Alright, I really did like this book overall, but the overwhelmingly love-filled reviews are making me feel like a bit of a black sheep. I don't mind being one TBH and most of the reviews so far are very short because it's still a little early.

The renaissance faire setting was amazing and inspired me to look up when one will be in my state next. It was such a well-developed setting; I could completely picture every part of it. I think the romance itself was good too. Simon and Emily had some kind of hate-to-love going on, where they both couldn't handle each other at first, and there were some classic moments of "is this really him or is this his ren faire character?" too.

BUT GOD I couldn’t handle Emily a lot of the time. She second guessed everything and jumped to conclusions without any good reason. It was so frustrating to read. I get that she’d been screwed over in the past but that was so repetitive and didn’t feel quite as correlated to what was happening as it could have been? I think we were supposed to feel for her because of her past relationship issues and they were somewhat developed, but it just didn't connect with me. I don’t know how to explain it properly. She also jumped to conclusions in all other areas of life, even when people didn't give her reasons to do so. Her sister told her to stay as long as possible or as long as she needed, and she still felt like she needed to move out ASAP. I don't want to dive into spoiler territory but there was another moment with the bookstore owner/queen of the faire, Chris, where she automatically assumed something without looking at literally all the clues around her to show she was wrong. So CLEARLY Emily did this with everyone, not just with Simon / within the romance.

Overall, most people have liked this one a lot more than I did and I would still recommend it overall. The more time passes, the more I don't remember how much Emily annoyed me, and the book looks even better in hindsight. The setting was amazing and, beyond the ren faire, I loved the small town the book took place in too.

Good ‘Morrow and Well Met, My Lords and Ladies! Allow me the distinct honor and privilege of introducing to your acquaintance this charming debut novel featuring wit, humor, romance, swashbuckling pirates, and daring Highlanders.

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Can you tell that I enjoy a bit of theater with my reading? Add in the fact that I’m a history buff and that my first job EVER was working at the Arizona Renaissance Faire, and you might be able to grasp just how excited I have been about this new release! Why, I nearly swooned from excitement when I saw the ARC awaiting me like a chivalrous suitor.

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Alas, my thoughts have run away with me! Let us begin, shall we?

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This book was by far one of the most charming novels I’ve read this year. I’ve definitely been in a Summer-Rom-Com kind of way for the last few weeks, and this was just light and fluffy enough to keep a smile perpetually on my face. While definitely a standalone, I fully appreciated the delightfully colorful cast of characters in a small town – it definitely gave me some Gilmore Girls/Stars Hollow vibes (though not nearly as quirky).

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Our main character, Emily, was a protagonist that I found myself relating to more than I originally thought I would. A young woman fresh out of a series of bad luck, she feels a bit lost in the sauce of life, and decides that helping out her older sister and niece while said older sister recovers from a broken leg is best use of her quarter-life crisis.

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I loved the family themes in this book, not only amongst Emily, her older sister, April, and April’s teenage daughter, Caitlin, but also between Simon, our resident High School English teacher and part-time Pirate, and his brother, Sean. Family relationships are usually complicated, messy, and confusing, but I enjoyed watching Emily and Simon navigate the precarious balance of who they were individually, as well as who they are within their respective family units.

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Speaking of Simon…

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I am a straight-up sucker for an enemies-to-lovers romance, and this was spot on! Simon was such a straight-laced, serious person that it was inevitable that he clash with Emily, who can appreciate the times for humor and levity on a regular basis. The verbal sparring between the two had me anxiously waiting for them to just KISS ALREADY and I loved the torture and build-up. Especially once the Faire was underway, and Simon’s Pirate Captain pulled out all the flirtatious stops for the Serving Wench Emma.

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The actual setting of the Faire was, I felt, well-done and familiar to any and all those who have ever attended a Renaissance Faire or Festival before. The shows, performers, costumes, and food evoked a very clear picture in my mind, and even brought on a round of solid nostalgia from a former employee of a Faire (shout out to my Serving Wenches!).

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With all that being said, there were a few issues that I had in terms of character and plot that kept this from being a higher rating. The first issue I had was regarding a small bit of Emily’s character that I felt was a little unbelievable and that detracted from her overall. It was a bit mystifying that a woman with a background in English Literature, in addition to a slight Shakespeare obsession, wouldn’t have known about period dress and clothing at all. This is a woman who knows exactly when Twelfth Night was written, but didn’t know what a chemise was? I feel like it was the author’s way of describing the intricate layers of Renaissance dress to an audience that might not be as familiar with terminology, but I feel like there were other ways and opportunities to do this without it affecting the knowledge of Emily.

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The second issue I had was in terms of conflict – I found it a little difficult to believe that two people who love talking (it’s even mentioned in the novel itself how this is the case) could allow miscommunication to come between them. They both had valid points in their argument, but I feel like if they’d taken a few minutes to calm down and actually communicate, the conflict itself would’ve never been a conflict – it just felt a little too convenient.

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Overall, this novel was fun, flirty, and charming, with a dash of romance that was sweet rather than spicy. It was a fantastic read for those summer days and made me anxious for my next trip to the Renaissance Faire.

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I cannot wait to see what this author comes out with next, as I’m sure it will just be as delightful as Well Met. I consider myself to have been properly wooed.

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Well Met was an absolute delight and I can't wait to read what DeLuca has in store for us. Well Met was more than just a fun romantic comedy; I liked that it delved into Emily's relationship with her family and her fears of never being enough. Her relationship with grumpy Simon started off rocky and the two never saw eye-to-eye, yet they had a spark and their chemistry was sizzling and the RenFaire setting just made their progression from enemies to lovers even more fun. Equal parts romance and finding yourself, Well Met is not a book you'll forget.

This book was cute but it took sooo long for the romance to start. I almost gave up after about 80 pages but kept reading and was glad that I finished. It had steam but not too much steam which I think does well in a book that the romance doesn’t start right off the back. I gave this book three stars because it was slow moving and they never fully explained why he hated her so much at the beginning of the book.

I liked this a lot. Sort of enemies to lovers set against a summer renaissance fair. Tavern Wench Emma(Emily in real life) and Pirate Ian Blackthorn (Simon in real life) sizzle enough that their in character kisses have Emily wanting real kisses from Simon.

I really liked the Renaissance Fair setting and I liked how Emily sees behind the Simon's pain and offers him real support. They both have things to work through but I like how she get past his grumpy exterior, to win them a HEA and to give him back his life.


ARC via NetGalley publish date September 3, 2019

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the early review copy!

Honestly, this book is the best romance I've ever read!

This book is basically an enemies to lovers featuring a girl who recently lost her boyfriend and her house after giving up her college education to support her boyfriend through college and a guy that's kind of a major uptight jerk but becomes incredibly attractive and much more enjoyable when he plays a character at renaissance festival.

Emily is a smart and strong willed woman that has no idea what she's doing next in life but falls in love with the small town her sister lives in. And Simon is yes a bit uptight and kind of a jerk towards people he doesn't know until he gets out of his shell, then he's a great guy. I feel like I'm basically Simon. (Oops).

The Renaissance theme drew me in because I love renaissance and would LOVE to work the local one if I had the time. But the writing was really good, the story was super fun, and the romance was great! I love me some enemies to lovers!

Highly recommend this book

“I didn’t choose the wench life, the wench life chose me.” This book was so much fun! I want to start this off by saying I grew up going to the renaissance fair with my parents as a kid. I still go and bring my kids. I’m proud of it. I don’t normally read romance novels because I often find them too fluffy or unrealistic for my taste (ya, I read fantasy and love books with dragons but if someone falls in love at first sight my BS meter goes off and I can’t handle it 😆). Anyway, I wanted to give this one a shot because it sounded quirky and light and it didn’t let me down! Well Met is the perfect book for those of you who also don’t read a ton of modern day romance novels but want to dip your toes, but it’s believable and cute. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for an engaging easy read that will make you smile. Thank you @netgalley for this ARC to review! You can choose Well Met as a current book of the month for August or wait until it is published and officially released next month on September 3rd. I give it a big smiley 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for being a new age romance novel that captured me and didn’t make me gag. I must find more books by this author!

WELL MET is whimsical, hilarious and brilliantly written!

I absolutely LOVED it! Ms. DeLuca cracks me up with her witty dialogue and endears us with an imperfect hero and heroine. Feeling unworthy of favor and happiness yet deserving of both!

I love everything about this story! I love Emily’s character! She’s been hurt and heartbroken, but she has a wicked sense of humor that tickled me every single time she opened her mouth! Her character is vulnerable and easy to relate to. I want to be her!

Now Simon… poor, poor Simon. This guy… I love him so much!!! He puts on a brave face but deep down he was suffering, but only Emily was able to see his true pain and she wanted so badly to heal and love him. Even though he was a total jerk the moment they first met! You gotta love a good enemies-to-lovers trope.

The secondary characters are just as brilliant! Emily’s sister and niece are sweet and so funny! And one of the most memorable characters in the story is a tall, blonde and handsome kilt-wearing gym teacher with a mighty big…. sword 😉

I.Love.This.Book. There is so much heart and loss, and hope and heartache, and promise. And love. SO much love! If you love witty dialogue, snarky heroines, wounded heroes, kilted men (and sexy pirates) all centered around an Elizabethan Renaissance Faire, then you definitely need to beg, borrow and buy WELL MET!

I was SO excited to read this book and it didn't disappoint. It was super charming. I love the friends to enemies trope and this book ticked all of the boxes. Simon and Emily budding romance spiraling through Renaissance reenactment is perfect. Sexy and cute!

This book just made me feel good. I loved the romance between Emily and Simon with the backdrop of the Renaissance Faire.

Have you been to a Ren Fest? Have you or your friends worked at a Ren Fest? Do you like heroines who are smart and kind, but who have been knocked around a bit in life? Then this is the story for you. It is lively and fun and really feels like you are working at a Ren Fest. It is a fun read and our heroine is very likable.

This was an adorable, super easy read. I really enjoyed the whole ren faire aspect and am now counting down the days to the local ren faire. Emily ends up in a small town caring for her sister after an accident and gets drawn in to the local ren faire group by her niece. The guy running the faire is a bit uptight and he and Emily don't mesh. Emily makes friends and assimilates into the small town life via her involvement with the ren faire, making her really consider her future plans. Cute book and the escapism I really needed right now!

"I didn't choose the wench life. The wench life chose me."

Good murrow and well met! I'm so excited to be reviewing Well Met by Jen DeLuca. This book is everything for me: romance, pirates, renaissance faire, books. I loved ever single moment, you should have seen the grin on my face through a good 90% of the book!

Well Met is a story of 25 year old Emily who has just been through a break up when her mom asks her to drop everything and come take care of her sister and niece as they recover from a car accident. While Emily's sister is out of commission with a broken leg, her daughter doesn't have any major injuries allowing her to try out for the town Renaissance Faire. The catch being for anyone under 16, a parent or guardian must also volunteer. Enter the main plot of this story, Emily getting to know to the local town folk and volunteering to be a wench in the Faire.

As soon as I read that this book took place primarily at a Renn Faire I knew I was hooked! The descriptions of everything, the set up, the performances, the food, the costumes, everything, was so spot on that I had no trouble picturing a Faire in the woods. In fact I pictured the Faire I try to attend each year, it was pretty much set up in the same fashion as the Faire in Well Met. The accuracy of it all has me longing for the Faire to begin this year! Ours moved to being in the fall a few years back and I can't wait to hopefully go again!

The characters in this book are so down to earth and real that I felt as if I was the one joining their small town. I related to Emily in so many ways, she's wonderful! Without giving anything away, I feel like the growth we see from Emily and how she handles herself is important for people to see. The message that you may care deeply for a person but you also need to care about your own mental health and take care you as well.

As for the supporting characters, I adored them! Wish we got to see a tad bit more with her sister and niece but I loved all the friends she made!

This book brought out every emotion! I smiled and laughed at so many wonderful parts but I also cried here and there. Any book that can get all the emotions is a good one for me. Being at the Faire warmed my heart so incredibly much!

If you love love or Renaissance Faires than definitely pick this up!! You won't be disappointed! I for sure will buying a finished copy at some point in time, I want to reread this and annotate the crap out of it!!

To end out this review, I loved every moment and think everyone should read it then go to a Faire!!

HUZZAH!

I loved everything about this book. I already can't stop recommending it to everyone. I was excited about the Ren Faire being included in this book and I had high hopes for it and I was not disappointed! I completely adore this book and highly recommend it!!

I am trying to gather my thoughts to write a real review, but I basically just want to bang out a billion heart emojis and grin in the afterglow of reading this book. YOU GUYS.

A while back, Jen posted a reply to a Twitter meme to post the plot of your book written like a Reddit /r/relationships post, and she posted "I’m (25F) working the local Ren Faire, but the guy (27M) in charge is an uptight dick who wears a lot of vests. It’s the first day of Faire, & said dick is now a pirate in disturbingly hot leather pants. He’s flirting with me! Should I go for it, or is he probably still a dick?" I, in a total reading slump, went YES PLEASE and then realized I had a copy of this book already on my Kindle, waiting for me! Less than 24 hours later I'm reeling from a book hangover and seriously thinking just flipping back to page 1 and starting the book again.

Well Met is written in the first person past tense from Emily's POV. I marked this as both fake relationship and forced proximity, because it's a bit of those tropes but not in the way you typically see either trope. I love the twist Jen DeLuca takes on these two tropes. Emily is volunteering for the summer with her niece at the Renaissance Faire that Simon helps organize, and it's pretty much enemies at first sight for them when he reminds her of her jerky ex-boyfriend. But it's a small town and they're all working on the upcoming Ren Faire together, so they're forced into proximity every weekend. And then the Faire actually starts and HOLY HANNAH, Simon in his persona as Captain Ian Blackthorne is basically sex in leather pants. Emily, in her Faire persona as Emma, is tossed into a "showmance" with him and as her character falls for his, Emily wonders how much is real and what's for show. I AM SO HERE FOR IT. It's also definitely full on hate-to-love, so if that's your jam then READ THIS BOOK.

If you've read other reviews by me, you know that romances with strong growth storylines are a big must for me. Simon and Emily both have major baggage from their pasts, the fallout of which causes a lot of their bumps and misunderstandings from both sides. And Lord help me, but I love an insecure hero/heroine. (Possibly because I am a messy ball of insecurities myself? Who knows!) While I love the romantic storyline between Emily and Simon, Emily also goes through some amazing personal growth, in her relationship with her sister, the friends she makes in Willow Creek, and really learning to believe that she is enough and deserves all the good things. There's one part in the book where she asks her big sis, "Am I worth it?" and it damn near broke my heart right in two. I want to hug Emily, and Simon, and also Stacey and Mitch and April and just be bestest buddies with the whole gang.

Well Met is a stand alone contemporary romance, though I really hope we'll get books for Stacey and for Mitch from Jen DeLuca in the future!

I am a true fan of rom coms and this summer I've read some fantastic ones, including Well Met by Jen DeLuca. This is a cute story that takes place in a small town that holds a renaissance faire each summer to raise money for the local schools. The characters are realistic and quirky, both musts in a good rom com. This is Jen DeLuca's debut and I will definitely look for more from her in the future.