This one was an interesting read—and I’m struggling how to put my thoughts down because while I super enjoyed the characters, I had a hard time with the central conflict: catfishing. I was so, so mad at the love interest. He turned it around at the end, and he was sorry but man—it was hard to really let myself enjoy them falling in love when he was lying nearly the whole time. Now, I knew that going in so it’s on me—what surprised me was how long it went on (a whole YEAR!!). So this one is hard for me to rate because my feeling of frustration outweighed the swoon.

Still, it was SO great to be back in this world, to be at the faire, to see Emma + Simon, too. And I can’t wait for the next one! I’m REALLY looking forward to the last couple. I’ve been rooting for them from the beginning!

Well Played is an unusual mix of good writing with a boring plot. One of the positive things about it, as well as it’s predecessor, is the view from the inside of a Renaissance fair. Also, Stacey, the main character, has a good group friends— always a plus. However, there is too much reflection on how much Stacey loves “Faire”, what a big part of her life it’s been over the years and an over the top number of references to getting into and out of corsets. The romance and conflict are signaled early on in the book (Really, Stacey, you didn’t see that coming?) and it takes forever to get to anything in the way of action. I did read this all the way through with only a bit of skimming. It left me wishing the book were shorter with more male character development and a more substantive plot.

3.5 stars = I liked it. The ren-faire as a locale is in this series is still fun., but there is much less of it this time as the story takes place over a whole year. This time Stacey, who showed Emily/Emma the ropes of being a ren-faire serving wench in the previous book is in the lead. Stacey is feeling a bit in a rut with all her friends moving forward in their lives. When she drunk emails her once a year faire hook up they start emailing and texting and Stacey actually finds herself looking forward to some. I didn't read the blurb before reading the story, but if you have you already know the twist. Stacey handles it well and without overmuch drama. Still the leads were both likable - -even if the heroine did much of the heavy lifting to get to the HEA- and the leads getting to know each other and start forming a bond between faires via texts and emails was done well - plus I like that as a method of making a deeper connection. So I liked Well Played and look for to kilted Mitch's book.

ARC via courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley - release date 9/22/2020

Another trip back to the Renaissance Faire! I adored the first book in this series, Well Met so I excited to read Well Played. Overall it was enjoyable, romantic and a fun read! I didn't love it quite as much as the first book but I adore these characters and any chance to visit the faire!

3.5 Stars
Jen Deluca continues the series with the story of Stacey. We have a woman who is living a life she had not thought of...her dream was fashion and right now she is at home as a receptionist, helping to emotionally support her family as needed, and pining away for a man she knows from the Renaissance Faire.

She starts to have a year-long text/email relationship with him, anticipating their reuniting when the faire comes back and is in for a huge surprise.

This was a HUGE miss for me, which makes me so sad because I really loved Well Met. But, for some reason, the writing, the characters, and the romance just were not for me.

From the beginning, I really found it hard to like Stacey's character. She complains so much about her life and staying in a small time to be there for her mom when she was sick; she is pretty resentful that she never got to leave and chase her dreams. Now, she's 27 and nothing is keeping her in the small town except for her fear of moving away and something happening to her mom. Seeing as I'm the same age as the main character, I found her annoying and couldn't feel compassion for her. Stop complaining about your life and do something! Talk to people about how unhappy you are! Instead, she would wallow and make people guess how many Pumpkin Spice Lattes she was going to drink that season. Also, when we're introduced to her, I feel like the author did a lot of telling us about Stacey and it made it hard to connect with her organically because it was pretty boring and not really engaging.

As for the romance, this was a catfish scenario that took place for literally 50% of the book. Stacey is emailing/texting who she thinks is Dex, but we know it's really Daniel, his cousin. They were talking to each other for ten months (I think?) and I really didn't feel a connection between them. Maybe it's because there were only a handful of emails we saw between them, but I didn't really think they had that intense connection Stacey claimed they had. I also thought it was weird that they were talking for ten months and Stacey never asked to FaceTime or even call each other on the phone? But that's just me.

I also thought Stacey's reaction to finding out it was Daniel happened way too quickly and she never even made him grovel for what he did. Their connection just didn't feel authentic because of that and I really didn't care for how their romance was going to end. Also, while I loved Well Met, I was kind of tired of how much we saw the couple of the first book in this story. I would have DNFd this book if I had not gotten a copy to review. It just wasn't for me.

Jen DeLuca's writing just puts a smile on my face. This sequel to Well Met is somehow just as adorable, just as romantic, just as sweetly steamy as the first in the series without feeling like the same story. Once again, I deeply want to be at Ren Faire, because DeLuca transports her reader.

"Well Met" is one of my favorite books that I've read within the past year, and I loved returning to the cast of characters and setting of the fictional Willow Creek Renaissance Fair. In a time of lots of change and uncertainty, it felt comforting to read about these characters again and know that by the end of the book, everything would be resolved in a happy ending.

Where I struggled a bit with this book was the pacing of the plot and some of the character development. There was a lot of set-up to get to the climax, and then once we got there, the characters just plowed through it without much conflict. Also, some of the characters felt a bit flat to me. As a main character, Stacey was great-- lively and complex. Daniel, as the romantic lead, fell flat in comparison. We never really learn much about him, and for that reason, I didn't quite feel the sparks between Stacey and Daniel.

3.75 stars rounded up to 4.

After reading (and absolutely loving!) Well Met at the beginning of the year, I was super excited when I heard this book would be released in the fall! Unfortunately, Well Played fell flat for me.

I am not a fan of cat fishing storylines and while I loved Daniel’s character, I felt that Stacey’s forgiveness came too quickly and didn’t really allow for any kind of character growth. Stacey’s character started out incredibly critical of herself and her choices, and while it was totally relatable, I found it a bit over-the-top. I love strong, powerful female characters and Stacey didn’t get there for me.

I loved being back in the Faire setting, though, and seeing glimpses of Simon and Emily’s relationship. I’m also really looking forward to what I presume will be April’s story to round out the series!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for an advanced e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

After reading (and loving) 'Well Met' last year, I was so excited to get to Well Played. I liked Stacey a lot and couldn't wait to get her story. Though I didn't love this one quite as much as the first, it was still a great read!

If you've read 'Well Met' you remember Emily's friend and fellow tavern wench, Stacey. Stacey is still in the same small town she grew up in, even though she had dreams to work in fashion in the big city. Due to some family things, life took her in a different direction and she's mostly content. Mostly. She lives for the Renaissance Festival her small town puts on every summer. It's her favorite time of year. And for the last two years, she's had a casual thing with of the guys that travels from faire to faire.

After the season is over she decides to message the guy. This turns into almost an entire year of texting and emailing. Stacey is smitten. And she's counting down the days until she sees her old hookup, now friend in person. Only things don't go exactly as expected when they meet again for the first time. And that's all I'll say about that ;)

The hero of this book was great. So sweet and soft and I adored him. I liked Stacey a lot too and I think her story and path in life could be relatable to a lot of women. By the end, I was shouting 'you go girl' to her! This book made me so nostalgic for my Ren Faire days (this year is canceled in Ohio d/t Covid...) and I love all the scenes that take place there. I absolutely love the setting of these books and I can't wait for the next one in the series (Mitch and April- gah! Give me!!)

If you're looking for a sweet, steamy, and fun read check this one out. It does have some pretty blatant cat fishing going on, but for some reason it didn't bother me much. I enjoyed the heck out of this one and I'm looking forward to reading more from Jen DeLuca!

3.5 stars

The second in a series of romances set in the world of Renaissance Fairs. Home town girl Stacie is wistful about never having left the comfort of her small town. She struck out on her own once, but a serious medical incident with her mom brought her back and now she is somewhat afraid to leave. She lives above her parents' garage and has a boring job, but her world comes alive every summer when she signs on as part of the local Renaissance Fair crew.

She has one too many glasses of wine one night and messages a band member that she hooked up with the last two summers. A long distance text and email relationship ensues and Stacie really opens up about her life and her challenges.

But, being a romance, a huge obstacle/misunderstanding appears. This plot mechanism is pretty predictable but still works out. An appealing distraction and quick read. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Some other reviews mention that they did not like how much Emily was in this one. I did not think that was the case. She is the Protagonist's best friend and had a much larger to tell - wedding planning, but it still did not focus on that. Others did not like this from the Cyrano (catfishing) in the story. I thought it was pretty obvious who she was talking to throughout the book. The author does point out several times that Stacey was only there for her parents, had a job that didn't fit her, and loved the faire time more than anything else. Basically 50-60% in, I knew the ending. I was still glad to see how it played out.

My review is posted:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50089191-well-played

I stayed up all night and read this book in one sitting!
There was a lot of pressure on this follow up to DeLuca's hit, Well Met. I honestly think that it was a success.
Stacey was the other Tavern Wench with Emily from the first book, and I was genuinely interested in her story. Stacey is a much more layered and dynamic character than I even thought she would be from the first book. Feeling a little lost in life after a family health scare brings her home after college, she has made excuses for her living situation for too long. The only thing she looked forward to was Faire, and the kilt-clad band The Dueling Kilts.
After drunkenly messaging a member of the band she had hooked up with, she starts to message back and forth with them, getting to know them better. What she doesn't know, is that she is actually falling in love with the band's manager, Daniel, not his cousin Dex like she thought.
So yes, there is a catphishing element to the story. If that is not your trope, you may not enjoy this novel as much as the first.
I feel like it was handled in a way where you were able to understand where Daniel was coming from, and still root for them to be together without it feeling wrong or icky.
The chemistry, and the swoony writing that Stacey and Daniel have makes it easy to love and truly root for them to face their demons and win in the end.
Please read this book! I loved it a whole lot.

CW: Parent illness

Huzzah! I’ve always wanted to go to a Renaissance Faire: the colorful costumes, festive music, knights (hopefully in shinning armor) jousting, turkey legs bigger than my face. So I’m not surprised how much I’ve loved this Renaissance Faire series by Jen Deluca. The first book in the series, Well Met, stole my heart last year and book #2, Well Played, didn’t disappoint.

Recap: Stacey feels stuck. She has the same old weekday routine: working as a receptionist at a dental office during the day, Jackson’s on Friday and nights spent cuddling with her tuxedo cat Benedick. The only time she feels somewhat excited is during the summer when she volunteers at the local Faire as a tavern wench. But this year, after Faire is wrapped, she decides to email her Faire fling (the kilt wearing band member of The Dueling Kilts, Dex McLean), to see if she can finally have something in her life that she can get excited about. Once she hears back from Dex, she realizes there may be more to them than their mutual attraction. But once Faire rolls around again she’s surprised to learn that the man she was falling for via emails may not have been the kilt wearing hunk she was lead to believe…

What I loved:

–Stacey was so relatable. I grew up in a small town (it was actually an Air Force Base, which is basically the same thing😆) , so I found her feelings of being stuck in Willow Creek very relatable. I totally felt when Stacey scrolled through social media and sees her old high school friends getting married and having kids and feeling left behind.

–Daniel. I love a sweet love interest & Daniel was such a thoughtful, kind guy.

–The conflict. Without giving anything away, I was worried there wouldn't be much conflict after a *certain* reveal, but there were plenty of twists and turns that kept me completely sucked into the story.

Side note: We’re getting Mitch and April’s story and I couldn’t be more excited to watch those two fall head over heels for each other.

Rating 5/5

Steam Level 🔥/4 (aka I will never look at fake fur rugs the same way)

*I received an arc courtesy of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

We're back again for the Willow Creek Ren Faire. This time our leading lady is Stacey. She's excited for another year at the faire but she's also feeling stuck in Willow Creek. She's living above her parents' garage, working a job she doesn't care about it, and single as can be. Can one drunken, heartfelt email change all of that?

You may know that I LOVED Well Met. If you didn't know that, go find that review... So, of course, I was very very excited to return to this world. I'm sad to say I just didn't feel the magic with this one. The first half of the book didn't even take place at the faire and mainly consisted of catfish-filled emails.

If you love Emily and Simon (obviously I do) you're still in luck. Their wedding is a big part of the plot here. I shouldn't be complaining about that but it didn't allow Stacey to chance to shine. This is her book after all!

Basically, I didn't feel the sparks flying with our new couple. I missed the banter and the tension of the first book and had trouble finding the chemistry this time. I was hoping to find a new book boyfriend and I can't say I did.

All of this being said, I don't regret reading this book one bit and I still loved being back with all of my favorite faire workers. And will I read Well Matched? Absolutely!

Great romance. There are so many ups and downs when having a long distance relationship in emails and texts. At times moving, and others, laugh-out-loud funny, this book is a great way to spend your time.

2.5/5

This book wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It was kind of a lukewarm read for me and I had to push myself to finish it because I got a little bored. I can't quite put my finger on exactly what didn't do it for me, but it lacked the charm of the first book, which focused heavily on the Ren Faire. In the second installment, we follow Stacey, a long time rennie who feels stuck in her small town life. Because she's not a newcomer, the Ren Faire setting, which was the major draw of the first book for me, became simply a backdrop, and the majority of the book just focused vaguely on the months between the Ren Faire.

As a main character, Stacey was relatable (hello quarter life crisis), but not all that complex or interesting. The love story aspect was sweet, but predictable (more predictable than usual, at least), and I found that hijinx and faked identities were forgiven way too quickly and not resolved through face to face discussion. I mean, maybe that's personal and I'm a bit of grudge person (we all have our faults, okay?), but I found it very unrealistic that Stacey would find out huge things, just think about them for a second, and be okay with it rather than discuss it with the other character. Maybe it was an attempt to make her independent, but these easy reactions just made Stacey feel a bit wishy-washy and basic to me.

That being said, it was still very cute, and I did enjoy the aspects of the Ren Faire life we got. Overall though, I found Emily and Simon to be a much more enjoyable couple than Stacey and Daniel.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for access to this arc.

I didn't read the first book in this series but heard wonderful things about it which is why I jumped all over the chance to read "Well Played." Witty banter? I'm all for it. Except this book has precious little. Instead it's about the heroine whining and moping about how much she loves Ren Faire and lives for Ren Faire and can't wait for Ren Faire. Enough already. Then a hero appears early on and we all knew he would be the hero. Or does he? Then there's a year of only social media contact for the "romance" until the "hero's" lies and basic catfishing are exposed? Nope. Not for me.

I read this book early thanks to #NetGalley

I loved loved loved this book. It was just as fun as DeLuca's first in the series "Well Met". I think setting a book in and around a Ren Faire is such a fun idea! THe characters were great, the love story was great, and the setting made you feel like you were walking on the dusty lanes at a faire! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a romcom!

Well Met was one of my favourite Romance novels from the past few years, and it was so fun to go back to the world of Renaissance fairs, pirates, kilts, bar maids, and long summer days.

This book is about Stacey, a woman who has spent the past few years volunteering at the local Renaissance Fair, working, having fun, and having a VERY casual fling with one of the musicians. When a drunken text one night leads to text and email relationship very different than their previous encounters. He is suddenly funny, sweet, and seems to care about her in ways he never did before.

Then the summer and the Renaissance Fair roles around again, and maybe it wasn't Dex after all, but who is the one she has been falling in love with all year, and do they have a relationship that can last?

This book was fun, entertaining, and it just made me feel so happy. I really liked the character of Stacey (as well as the love interest) and found it very easy to connect to them. The love story was sweet and the problems weren't too far fetched.