I just couldn't invest into this one and found myself paying less and less attention to the story. I can't really pinpoint why because I found the faire element really interesting. I think I just didn't care about the romance or really the characters. It's a shame because I think it could have been really cute if I'd managed to get into it a bit more.

I read Well Met by Jen DeLuca and it made me laugh and there were a few times where I was sad. I became invested in the characters. I never attended a Ren Faire but I have been to something similar in which I was a patron. I could picture the setting and the excitement and the stress setting up the event. I was glad to see that Emily chose Simon and I can understand the confusion at that age of is he liking me or my character. I've lived in a small town and taught in a small town so I can also understand everyone knowing that you are new to the area and your business like Emily experiences and I can also understand her sister's reluctance of interacting with the town so they don't know her business. I could picture myself as April trying not to get involve in the small town and I could picture myself as Emily dropping everything for a sister that you weren't close to. I've done that also.
I would recommend this book.

A really great romantic comedy that was unexpectedly also full of sweet moments. I loved the setting! So inspired! What a fun setting for romance. The set-up is perfection and the love hate was executed masterfully. The author is definitely one to watch! I look forward to more romances set at the fair. Or is it faire? I have made this book an NYPL staff pick.

Very sweet, loved the premise. A light, easy read; had all the fixings for a hate him-love him rom com.

This book has become one of my favourite romance books! Oh my goodness. I was hooked from the beginning, unable to put it down! it was an amazing, fast and swoon worthy read. The characters and their chemistry and the little role play , which was part of the plot was so good and it added that spice and kept me hooked to my seat.

The ending was also perfect and I just didn’t want it to end. I connected with Emily easily, felt the intensity of emotions throughout the book and this book really pulled at my heart strings. ROMANCE READERS YOU WILL LOVE THIS!! Hate to love, hot pirates (role play) and beautiful writing!

This book was sweet and funny, and it moved really quickly. I thought the first person POV was a great choice for building the right amount of tension, and the family tensions felt authentic without being overly dramatic. One of my favorite debuts of 2020.

Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to read this ARC prior to the book's publication, but I've finally finished and I LOVED the book. I was so incredibly glad to hear it was going to be a series!!

Release Date: September 3, 2019
Contemporary Romance
Well Met #1
Berkley Penguin Group
Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

So I stood in line at RWA in New York to try and get a print copy of Well Met and they ran out right before I got to the table. I knew then I needed to read this book, as many of the people in front of me were romance authors.

I really enjoyed Well Met. I am not a big Renaissance Faire person, so I loved how much of it was explained along the way. I loved Emily from the moment she appeared on the page and have to say her inner dialogue had me laughing out loud on more than once occasion. I loved her relationship with her niece, and seeing Emily and her sister become real friends along the way. Emily is such a strong and fun character, I just loved her from the very beginning. She seemed to make friends very easily and really fit into her new adopted hometown quickly.

Emily and Simon didn't have a great beginning when they first met. I have to be honest; I initially thought Simon was a bit of an ass. Again I learned about Renaissance Faire as I read this book, but I still felt like Simon was a little over the top about everything when the book started. However, I did start to see not only how important the Faire was to Simon but why it was so important, and then I just wanted to hug him. It took a bit for me to understand Simon, as he wasn't as open about thoughts and feelings as other characters in this book. Once I started to see what I'd describe as the real Simon, I fell for him just as much as Emily did.

Well Met was such a fun book to read. I loved how much both Emily and Simon grew and changed over the course of this story. It was like they each needed the other to start to figure out what path they really needed to follow. Their chemistry was evident from the beginning, yet they had a slow build to a relationship, and it worked for me. Honestly their banter and conversations pulled me in every bit as much as their chemistry. I honestly can't wait to revisit with these characters in future books in the series.


Rating: 4 Stars (B+)

Well, I am kicking myself. I’m kicking myself, because I absolutely loved WELL MET by Jen DeLuca and I waited WAY too long to read this book. I mean COME ON, some of my favorite memories are going to the Ohio Renaissance Festival with my aunts. We always went on Roman takeover day and wore togas. Did I drool over some of the actors in period costumes? Absolutely. This was like living out my teenage fantasy in the most adorable small town romance.

Emily and her sister have had a rough year. Emily was dumped by her longtime boyfriend and moved to Maryland to help her sister and niece after her sister was in a terrible car accident. Emily wants nothing more than to find her place and put down roots. She seems to find her people when she joins the local renaissance festival cast as a tavern wench. That is to say, she finds her people, except for the grouchy, English teacher turned pirate during the festival, who seems to criticize her every move.

This book is perfect for fans of Sally Thorne’s THE HATING GAME. There is a lot of fun banter and sizzling sexual tension between our main characters. I loved how the enemies to lovers trope was eventually resolved and I am convinced I need a real life Simon in my life. I think we all need a Simon! English nerds, renaissance festival nerds, and romance novel nerds alike will adore this book. It was the easy, fluffy romantic comedy I really needed right now.

I know I am late ton the game, but thinking more about it, I am kind of glad I didn’t read this book earlier. Now I have less wait time until the next book! WELL PLAYED comes out this September (on my birthday, actually!). I CAN’T WAIT. I need more from this cute cast of characters!

**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**

What a delightful setting and plot. As a former theater kid I knew right away who I could recommend this to and I cannot wait for the next installment.

It’s funny, the things you don’t know are missing from your life until you find them. Ren Faire is one of my favorite summer activities. The dirt, the vendors, the smell of smoked turkey legs… pickle pushers… it’s immediate happiness for me.

Knowing there’s romance books out there that take place at renfest…! I feel like my world suddenly got a little bit brighter.

Well Met was everything I love about Renaissance Faire, plus it had one of the swooniest love stories I’ve ever read! Jen DeLuca blew me away. She captured the energy and atmosphere of being at the festival so perfectly. I don’t think I’ve read another book that put me deep into the setting. I’ve read other reviewers talk about how an author captured the pulse of the setting so well; I didn’t really get it. Now I know. This author transported me to my favorite place on earth, and I could smell it.

Then, on top of everything, she gave me two amazingly thought out and layered characters. Our heroine Emily was lost, and even when she was the most paralyzed with fear and doubt, she found a way to ask the tough questions. I loved her.

Then there was Simon, and he was definitely a tougher nut to crack. The beauty inside Simon developed slowly, and my god I loved him so much.

Honestly, I can’t say enough about this book. Renfaire romance has now become my favorite genre.

I LOVE renaissance fairs!
Usually my idea of a good time equals something like this.

Except a more chubby version.

So when I saw this book was a rom-com set in one I got excited. Then I started reading it.
I'm gonna go ahead and tell you. This sucker is a verrrrry slow burn.


By the time the smexy stuff finally started. I didn't care anymore. I didn't connect with a single one of these characters. Their turmoils just did not click. I was mostly bored. And I kept waiting for the rom-com part.
One dude wore bicycle shorts under his kilt? Was that supposed to be the funny part?
I wanted something threw in to spice it up!


Ok so maybe that is my weirdness showing but still.
I didn't absolutely hate it so I'm giving it an 'ok' rating. But be prepared.


Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review

I’ve always thought going to a Renaissance Faire sounded like a lot of fun, so I was immediately drawn to this title that predominately takes place at one. The story is just as adorable as the cover!

1. I will admit that it took me a little while to get into this one. Things moved slowly as Emily settles in to take care of her sister, April, and her niece, Caitlin, after they were in a car accident. Emily tries to find her footing in a new town, recover from a bad relationship, and find new direction in her life. She ends up being roped in to Renn Faire and the first part of the book is mostly practicing for Faire, hating on Simon, and slowly making friends. It wasn’t heavy (or even semi-heavy) on the romance at all until about halfway through, but hang in there because you’ll love it once it starts.

2. Simon and Emily each have baggage they’re carrying around, so it makes complete sense that they don’t like each other so much in the beginning. Simon is living in the shadow of his older brother, the founder of the town’s Renn Faire, since he died of cancer. He’s bitten off way more than he can chew, and is living a rather unfulfilling life. He plays a pirate at Faire, and I love that part of his personality. He’s able to let go of everything and have fun when he pulls on his black leather costume, and Emily and I both fell for him as we saw more of that side and less of his grumpy, frazzled side. He can also be incredibly romantic. Emily has come out of a really toxic relationship recently, and doesn’t know where her life is heading once summer is over. I really liked how authentic and down-to-earth she was. I also love the devotion she feels to her sister, and the bond she shares with her niece.

3. There are actually a lot of really fun platonic relationships in this book. Emily’s family relationships are so sweet. She’s also got Chris, the queen of Renn Faire as well as the owner of the bookstore Emily is working at. Then there’s her Faire friends, Mitch and Stacey, that she meets up with for pizza on Sunday nights after Faire is over for the week. I loved all of these secondary characters so much. Mitch in particular is so funny. He wears a kilt without a shirt during Faire and has the cockiest personality. But he’s also mushy and sweet to his friends. And Stacey is the sweetest best friend type.

4. I loved Renn Faire. The descriptions of what it looked and sounded like were so amazing that I felt transported to the woods and felt like I was the one watching the jousts and hearing the characters speak in their period language. The costumes, food, music, and set-up all sounded like so much fun.

5. The romance is so sweet. At one point, Simon decides he’s going to give Emily her first proper wooing and it’s so wonderful that I was giddy from it. These two have such great chemistry, and they also have this special bond that goes deeper and allows them to help each other through their issues.

All in all, I loved Well Met! It was the perfect mash-up of fantasy and reality, friendships and romance, and light-hearted fun that punches you in the feels. I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in the series!

I loved this book. It made me want to take part in a Renaissance Faire. The romance between Emily and Simon, and the journey they took together, sucked me in and still has not let me go. I didn't want the book to end. I can't wait to see what Jen DeLuca does in the future.

What a joy of a book! The sibling relationship and the romantic relationships both kept me intrigued. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters. It was a charming story and just what I was looking for!

Overall, I really liked this story! I loved the renaissance faire setting. Although the characters didn't quite work for me, and I didn't really feel the tension/connection as much as I would have liked to, I did still enjoy the story and plan to continue with the series.

Entertaining as it is a mixture of all things amazing and annoying, Well Met is a fantastic concoction that will surely rile up your stomach for wanting more.

The stitching of the the story is well done and it is truly a marvelous read.

Loved this story. I laughed so much and loved so much, a classic enemies to lovers story. I loved the Shakespeare references and nerdiness is something I love in a book. Both main leads are very well written and so lively.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review one of your author’s titles.

I apologize that it has taken me a while to respond, as I should have been more prompt, however I have chosen not to read or review this title as it was not one that I found was able to hold my interest and my review would not have been positive.

As always, thank you for the opportunity.
Laura

I loved this! Very cute and easy to read. I will be recommending this especially to new romance readers. Loved the fast plot and high accessibility.