Well Met was one of my favorite books of last year, so I was stoked to see that the sequel is so close to publication! I loved this book. Not as much as the first one, but I enjoyed the expansion of the world and seeing Simon and Emily's love story come together.

This is my first time reading a book by Jen DeLuca and I just learned that this is the second book in this series (to me this book read like a stand-alone, which is perfect!!). Great story! Great romance! Great fun!! I can't wait to read more from this author!

Due to her mother's illness, Stacey's dreams of a NYC job were put on hold. She's stayed in her small town, given up a fashion merchandising career to work in a dentist's office, and lives in the apartment above her parents' garage. Her chance to step into another persona happens every summer when she volunteers at the local ren faire. And for the past couple summers, part of the fun has included no-strings hookups with the hunky Dex, part of a band playing at the faire. Dex is rumored to have a wench at every faire so Stacey knows not to expect anything more than casual sex.

But what if she does want more? Now the faire is over, Stacey's best friend is engaged, other high school and college friends have moved on with careers and families. And Stacey hasn't. So after one glass of wine too many, she reaches out to Dex via social media. Oops.

Except he responds. That starts months of flirtatious, sometimes soul-baring email and texts. Until it's faire season again and things aren't exactly what or who they seem to be.

The description of the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire was a lot of fun. Stacey was mostly relatable although I wanted her to have more of a spine at times.

Thanks to NetGalleyand Berkley for the DRC.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Swoon and swoon again! Jen DeLuca's first book in the series, Well Met, easily became my favorite romance when it was published, so I KNEW I would love the second in the series, Well Played. Huzzah to DeLuca for making me love the characters in Willow Creek even more in this installation!

Our protagonist, Stacey, has grown up in Willow Creek her whole life, and is a fixture at the Willow Creek Ren Faire each year. She dreams of packing up her tuxedo cat, Benedick (which is the most perfect cat name when your Ren Faire name is Beatrice) and creating a life outside of her small town. After a night of maaaybe drinking a little too much wine, she begins chatting online with her summer faire fling. But this Shakespearean style comedy is far from simply talking to a crush!

Stacey is such a wonderful character to follow in this book, and DeLuca did an amazing job creating a heroine that strives for growth, change, and love. She's earnest, optimistic, and a wonderful friend who supports those she cares about. I will say, I would 100% recommend reading Well Met before jumping in to Well Played since DeLuca incorporates the characters from the first book, which was a delight to see since some follow-ups only mention past characters in passing. I cannot wait to visit Willow Creek again for the third book!

This was a very fun book, just like the first one in the series. I enjoyed the Renaissance Faire setting and the romance was light and flirty! The only thing I had an issue with was the fact that I knew who her love interest was from beginning because of the cover of the book. Even still, I can get past the "secrecy" of his identity because he just seems like such a good guy! Anyway, I would recommend because it is on the same exact vein of the first book: fun and flirtatious, with the first book's protagonists making a good number of appearances! This book is exactly what I could've wanted from Jen DeLuca and I cannot wait for the next installment!

Return to the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire--AKA, the Best Ren Faire Ever!--in this fantastic sequel to "Well Met".

"Sometimes I wished I was the one packing up and moving on. Sometimes I was tired of standing still."

Stacey lives for those few weeks in summer when she gets to dress up and become Beatrice the Tavern Wench. Being Beatrice gives her the joy that being Stacey doesn't have. She has a job she doesn't love, gave up a career before it even began to take care of her sick mom, is still living with her parents (well, parent-adjacent), and let's not talk about her love life.

And with Faire comes the Dueling Kilts, the band that features Dex MacLean, the sexy, kilt-wearing guitar player who is rumored to have a wench at every Faire. What he and Stacey have is casual; no strings attached. But Stacey wants those strings. When a drunken night in a post-Faire depression coupled with feeling that everyone is moving on without her results in sending a Facebook message to Dex, Stacey is surprised to see that he actually replied! Suddenly, she has a pen-pal: dedicated and funny and kind and so very interested in her.

The only problem? It's not Dex she's talking to. Shakespeare has nothing on the drama that is about to unfold...

Five stars and a hearty "Huzzah!" for "Well Played"! I adored this second book set at the Willow Creek Ren Faire, and the return to see all of the friends we made in the first book! We see Emily and Simon as they prepare to tie the knot, Mitch continues to be Mitch in his kilt, and April's sass is stronger than ever. And Stacey. Oh my goodness Stacey! I totally related to her, being a young woman in her mid-twenties living with her parents, wanting a change of scenery, craving a romantic relationship, and owner of a tuxedo cat. (The last one is very important in this case; for Stacey, not me.)

Stacey is amazing, but I feel for her so much; she tries so hard to make other people happy and take care of other people, all while denying herself that same happiness. I loved seeing her character expanded on in this book, and how much the Faire is a part of her as much as she is a part of it.

"Well Played" is addicting, exciting, full of fun, and will make you crave a turkey leg. Or some mead. And will definitely make you crave a man in a kilt (or two--who am I to judge?).

I fell in love with Jen DeLuca's first book, Well Met, when I first read it last fall. I always approach a second novel with a little trepidation- will it be as good as the first? Well, let me put your mind at rest- Well Played is fantastic! It's not just a retread of the same story= instead it focuses on Stacey, Emily's friend in the first book, as she develops a relationship with Dex, a former hook-up, over Facebook messages, emails, and texts throughout the fall, winter and spring leading up to the next Ren Faire season. I loved how we get to see Emily and Simon as they move forward in their relationship, as well as getting to know April, Emily's sister, a little bit better. This was such a fun read and I'm already dying to read the third book!

While I did not enjoy this as much as the first book, this was another fun return to the world of a small town Ren Faire. While I cannot pinpoint the exact thing, there was something about this story that fell a little flat. Still enjoyable, and I hope to read more books based in this world

Mistaken identity, romance through email and texts, and just lots of love in this awesome book! I loved Stacey and her loyalty to everyone, but was rooting for her to get a chance to have more adventure in her life. Daniel is so sweet and romantic. I loved their story, and seeing everyone else from book one was a wonderful bonus!

Absolute huge delight. Well Played was one of my favorite romances last year, so I had high hopes for this one. It was such a pleasure to be back at the ren faire, and it just had everything I loved about the first one. I thought the premise was a little risky- mistaken identity always is- but I thought that it ended at just the right time so they were able to explore their relationship and figure things out. Daniel's personality wasn't TOTALLY my favorite, but I thought that he complimented Stacey really well. I think this one really got to me because I can 100 percent, almost for sure, definitely see myself falling in love this way, so I found myself relating to a lot of it. Also this HEA is just incredible-so satisfying.

I enjoyed Well Met well enough when I read it - I found it a little bland, but I did like the setting and the characters. And I still had high hopes for the sequel because I liked Stacey as a side character in Well Met.

Honestly though, this was... again pretty bland, but also just... not great. I didn't like the main character too much, but I especially didn't like the love interest at all. And for good reason.

I just want to tell Jen DeLuca that yes, I understand that you wanted to write a HEA, but not all people *should* end up together. And not everything should be easily forgiven.

SPOILERS! Basically the entire plot hinges on a catfish scenario. And not one that's easily redeemable because of mistaken identity, no: the love interest knowingly pretends to be his own cousin to catfish the main character, knowing full well that she has no idea who he really is. He lies to her multiple times, and honestly, I thought his redemption arc was really glossed over and basically non-existent. I didn't want these people to end up together because I thought Stacey deserved better.

And let's be honest, it's really difficult to enjoy a romance novel when you're not rooting for the characters to end up together.

‪Let’s talk about Well Played y’all. Was it cute? Yes. Heartwarming? Yes. Was I rooting for Daniel from the start? YES. I was pleasantly surprised by Dex. I hope we get another installment feat. April & Mitch. Pick this title up in September! #wellplayed #netgalley‬

2.5 stars

I was so excited when this book was announced. I loved "Well Met" so very much (it was one of my favorite reads from 2019). I'm sorry to say I was quite disappointed with "Well Played."

The storyline between Daniel and Stacey is, quite frankly, catfishing, and how Stacey managed to move past Daniel's lies so quickly is beyond me. The magic from "Well Met" was so perfect. I loved everything about the Faire and the atmosphere DeLuca created in the first book. I don't know if it was the catfishing aspect, but this book really fell flat for me. My favorite scenes were the ones where they were at the Faire and I wish there was more.

I loved "Well Met" so much that I will continue with this series.

Received an arc from netgalley for an honest opinion.

What a fun story concept! I really loved the characters in this book, they were so much fun to get to know. I didn't know much about Renaissance faires before this, and I'm glad I got a sneak peek behind the scenes. If you're in the mood for a quick, fun read pick this up!

I really enjoyed the first entry in this series, Well Met. Unfortunately, this follow-up does not have the same charm or emotional clarity. The Cyrano-esque setup is a difficult needle to thread and the narrator's reactions and motivations around it are muddy. This might not matter so much if she had the warmth or appeal of the lead in the first novel, but Stacey is underwritten and has a tendency toward self-pity that tires quickly. I will still recommend Well Met to readers and look forward to a third entry that can overcome this sophomore slump.

The only word I can think to describe this book is "fine," which is a little sad because I loved Well Met so, so much! Don't get me wrong, I liked Stacey a lot as a character and narrator and I think Jen DeLuca's writing style is as enjoyable as ever, I just didn't think there was enough substance here both plot-wise and love interest-wise. Daniel seems great, but again, I'm stuck on "he seems nice" if someone asked me to describe him, and I guess I just wasn't keen on the updated Cyrano plot part of things. Not exactly my cup of tea, but a perfectly nice one that other tea drinkers might really enjoy!

Mostly a "meh." Not as good as the first in the series and to be honest, there really wasn't enough of a story for a full length book.

A small town renaissance fair is the setting for this book about a woman who gave up her dreams to help take care of her mother after an illness. Life has gone on for everyone else and she’s spending her days working at a dentist’s office instead of the career she was looking forward to in New York City. The only thing she looks forward to now is the yearly renaissance fair where she works during several weekends in the summer. The first delight here is the renaissance fair itself.

Stacey is out with friends when her best friend announces she is engaged. She is stunned to realize just how empty her life is even though she lives in an apartment over her parents garage. She is very active on social media and meets friends out on Friday nights at a local bar. Book club and her cat rounds out her life. Except when the fair comes around. That is definitely her happy place. She decides it’s time for a change-whatever that might be. Daniel comes to the fair every year as manager of a musical group that plays there annually. He watches as Stacey spends a couple of summers staying nights at times with his cousin Dex, also known as the front man of the group. Also known as a total man whore. When the fair ends, and the engagement is announced, a tipsy(drunk)Stacey goes home and writes a I miss you email to Dex even though she really doesn’t. Mortified the next day, she doesn’t expect an answer. But she gets one. What follows is ten months of emails and texts while they get to know each other. But who is she really talking to? Not really a spoiler since you figure it out pretty early on.

I really liked both of the main characters. Stacey is 26, isn’t model thin and is just a normal attractive small town girl. She has a college degree she’s not using and I could definitely relate to that! Daniel is 31, quiet and pretty shy. He does talk to Stacey when he sees her at Fair and is carrying a huge torch for her. But, sexy Dex gets all the girls when he’s around.

Sure, this type of story has been done before, for example, Cyrano de Bergarac or Steve Martin’s movie, Roxanne. But I thought this version was written well with quite a few differences. I’m not even saying it’s a re-imagining either. It just puts you in mind of both of them. Or at least it did me. The setting of the renaissance fair was new for me in a book and I enjoyed that aspect as well. I have been to one twice now and really loved my experiences. I could easily picture the fair and the atmosphere.

This was a fun read that I liked a lot. Unfortunately, I had not read book one because I wasn’t aware of it before I received this one. That one was about Stacey’s best friend Emily and her relationship with Simon, the director of the fair. It didn’t matter at all that I hadn’t read it first. Having said that, I did recently buy book one because I really liked that couple too. Other side characters were April, Emily’s sister, and high school friend, Mitch. That’s going to be book three. I’m sure I’ll be reading that one as well. Recommended to adult contemporary romance readers.
Review will post on DelightedReader.com on or close to release day

I read an e-ARC of this title and was pleasantly surprised by a couple of things. First, just as I was about to groan at the predictability of the plot or a character action, there was a twist (albeit a small one) to keep it from being too tropey. Nicely done.

Also, I really enjoyed the fact that the love story was almost entirely a written experience. Words are like that......they move people.

Finally, a thank you to the author who gave us a heroine with curves and the considerations of that in her life, as well as a leading man who is not ridiculously hot - because quite frankly, how many people are there like that in the world and how are all of them ending up in these books?!?!?!?

A nice surprise and a lovely, fun romantic read. 💜📚

Sorry, did not finish this one. The description gave too much away. Skipped to the end to confirm and wasn’t interested in the middle.