Cover Image: Well Matched

Well Matched

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Member Reviews

DeLuca's Ren faire romances never fail to delight! I enjoyed the dynamic between our love interests in this installment and it was great to see April get into the Ren faire spirit and how that enriched her relationships with her friends and family.

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I love this series more and more with each book!! This is probably my favorite book in the series, yet. I think the age gap trope worked well in this book. If you haven’t read this series yet, I recommend it!

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Jen DeLuca has done it again! Well Matched is the third Ren Faire rom-com in her Well Met series and it's just as sweet and charming as the first two novels. I already am excited to read Well Traveled.

April is easily relatable and Mitch is swoon-worthy, for sure! I loved their interactions... especially the steamy ones. The majority of the story is set apart from the Ren Faire, but it still features at some point and those parts are so much fun. Between reading this and watching a certain episode of Virgin River, I was hoping to go to the local Ren Faire this fall, but alas that didn't happen. (The closest I got was watching Rosaline on Hulu recently.) I enjoyed meeting Mitch's family and loved his cousin Lulu and his grandma. (I'm excited to get to know Lulu even more in the next book!) I also learned new things about home improvement, not that it's something I'd be taking on anytime soon.

This novel can be read as a standalone, but there are spoilers for the first two in the series and it's worth reading those, as well!

P.S. I may have gotten teary-eyed at one point...

Movie casting suggestions:
April: Gillian Jacobs
Caitlin: Caroline Grossman
Mitch: Graham Rogers
Emily: Molly Gordon
Simon: Munro Chambers
Stacey: Samantha Hanratty
Lulu: Karen Gillan
Caitlin's dad: Steve Howey
Mitch's grandma: Shirley Jones

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I just love this world by Jen Deluca. I don’t think anything will ever beat Well Met for me but I LOVED this one!! I was so happy to finally read Mitch and Aprils love story!! It was SO CUTE!! I loved the fake dating part, it made me smile so big. The ending was my favorite and I loved watching these two fall in love and finally get their HEA!!

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I absolutely loved everything about this romance. The chemistry between April and Mitch jumped off of the page and the conflict felt very realistic. I really enjoyed getting to know April more and seeing her character become more fleshed out in her own story. The festival aspects were just as fun as they were in all of the previous books, could not recommend this one enough!

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I went into Well Matched expecting the same pleasant reading experience I had received from the previous two books. While no RenFaire couple has topped my love of Emily and Simon (yet), I found myself loving April and Mitch for an entirely different reason. Their relationship wasn't all to their characters, they were complex and unabashed in who they were. I really loved hearing April's perspective as a mother and watching Caitlin go off to college. It even pushed me to action and resulted in a phone call to my own mother. April plays a character we haven't seen much in romance. Somebody older and world-weary, not the typical bright-eyed bushy-tailed 20-something. I also can't help but love Mitch he makes this book that much more delicious, with his openness and direct displays of his feelings. An emotionally available male main character? I'm interested. Overall, I think this book was an excellent follow-up to the charm of Well Met and Well Played. Jen DeLuca spins another cozy tale that was well written, well done, and left me well ready for Well Traveled.

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Fantastic book! I have been waiting for this pairing in this series and it did not disappoint. Very entertaining, easy read that I loved from start to finish.

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An enjoyable, lighthearted romance set around the local Renaissance Faire, with a great emotional heart at its center.

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Well Matched by Jen DeLuca was an adorable romcom that includes all of readers' favorite tropes. In addition, the banter and wittiness of the characters was true perfection and I enjoyed the dialogue all the way through to the end. I also think DeLuca perfected the age gap, something I as a reader have struggled to enjoy in the past. She made the age gap appropriate and not icky, while still adding the spice of having one. I sped through this and really enjoyed every second of it!

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Its an easy breezy read, which feels like going back into my comfort zone. It was the perfect summer read. Really enjoyed reading it.

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Dare I say this might be my favorite of JDL's Ren Faire books? I honestly did not think anything could top Simon and Emily, but then came Mitch and April - and talk about ALL THE FEELS. This book was utter perfection - from fake dating, to single mom and so much more, I absolutely did not want this one to end.

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Easily the best in the series, by far. Mitch is a swoony himbo with depth and I really enjoyed April's POV and journey. Fake dating is so good.

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I’ve enjoyed all of the books in Jen DuLuca’s Faire series and Well Matched fits right in with the rest of them. Jen does a fantastic job of writing rom coms that pull you in with lots of fun banter, heart and love. The fake dating trope coupled with an “older” (truly not old in my opinion) heroine made a great storyline that kept me interested and rooting for the characters. It was lovely to see April, a single mother, move on from her past and take a shot at romance with Mitch. And finally, I’m amazed that Jen can continue make the Renaissance Faire setting so intriguing!

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(This review was written months after having read the ARC, after dealing with a period of some personal issues. Apologies for the tardiness as I catch up on the backlog of reviews.)

Single mom April gets the help of Mitch as she's soon to be an empty-nester, and in return, she promises to be his fake girlfriend to run interference during is rather large family reunions. Mitch also happens to be a kilted Ren Faire performer, and through a series of events, April also gets roped into playing girlfriend for him there too.

I found this one of the more enjoyable of Jen DeLuca's Ren Faire series, which are all fairly solid but sometimes feels a bit contrived when it comes to setting up character's "one flaw" or driving trauma. As a fan of the fake dating trope, I felt this had some of the wacky and yet heartfelt situations that I enjoy (such as when the fake partner can see what others can't). The chemistry felt far more natural as well.

Overall, a good time with the Ren Faire backdrop to lend it spice but not quite as central.

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not as good as the other two books in the series really but it was still fun, it was nice to see the other characters in this book. cant wait to see more from this author.

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I LOVE being in this world and Jen’s writing is just superb! If you enjoyed the previous installments, you’ll be on board with this next story.

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After feeling as though we’ve been waiting since the first page of Well Met for April and Mitch’s story, I finally picked this one up!

Overall, it was better in some ways than the previous books, whereas other parts felt like they were missing a bit. On one hand, this book felt closer to Well Met than Well Played—I suspect because April is Emily’s sister and it reads more as a direct sequel to Well Met than Well Played was. On the other hand, a big thing that drew me to this series in the first place was the ren faire setting and I’m disappointed it took a back burner in this book. I know the faire was never really April’s cup of tea and I am so glad she does get out there and experience it in this book, but I feel like there was a missed opportunity to make it a bigger part of the story.

Don’t get me wrong, Mitch and April are so good together, and I adore both of them. The fake dating trope was fun and I love how “everyone sees it but you” played into the story. This truly is a solid four star read for me.

However, I still felt like there was a few loose ends here and there. There should have been more resolution with April’s ex-husband and I felt as though there was something missing to the story with Mitch’s family. The point was to show them he’s not just another himbo but I didn’t see that it was really accomplished beyond “the ren faire is serious business” and April standing up for him at dinner. More groveling was needed for how shitty they’ve been to him over the years.

I also found the writing to be a bit lazy at times. At one point April sees that Mitch is visibly uncomfortable with something she says, and this is specifically mentioned in her inner monologue, but when it comes up she acts shocked and as though she wasn’t anticipating there to be an issue. This happens a few times, and I was surprised it wasn’t caught in editing and revised a bit.

Overall, this is a fast paced, swoony romance and you can bet Mitch brings all of the charm and compassion we’ve seen from his character in the previous books. He’s good for April, who can be a self deprecating and a victim of tunnel vision. They compliment each other so well and I’m really pleased with where the story leaves them.

More than anything, I really enjoyed Lulu’s character and am looking forward to her book next!

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This was a cute fake dating rom com with the classic “there’s only one bed” scene. A fast and fun read!

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𝚃𝚒𝚝𝚕𝚎: Well Matched
𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛: Jen DeLuca @jendelucawrites
𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛: Berkley Romance @berkleyromance
𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝙳𝚊𝚝𝚎: Oct. 19, 2021
𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy Sunday!!

This comfort read of a romcom was the perfect way to wrap up my weekend ❤️

I’ve loved all of Jen DeLuca’s Well Met series, but this third book is my absolute favorite. As an unofficial member of the Mitch Malone fan club, I was beyond excited to read Mitch and April’s story, and it is *chef’s kiss* perfection.

A kilt-wearing, charming, sensitive cinnamon roll of a book boyfriend? Check. A strong, smart, beautiful and sarcastic female main character? Check. A fake-dating-til-they-both-catch-feels situation? Check. Plenty of Ren Faire magic and some check-ins with some of our favorite Willow Creek characters? Check, check. And of course, lots of great banter, heart, and steam? Checkity check check.

This book got me right in the heart several times (have the Kleenex ready because it will sneak up on you), plus made me laugh out loud, and the way DeLuca writes family, human emotion, and happily-ever-afters for all ages and situations is what makes her one of my favorite authors.

READ THIS BOOK (pre-order it, put it on hold at your local library, or grab a copy when it hits shelves October 19!), and if you know of a good Renaissance Faire near central Illinois, let me know because now I need my fix 🥰

Thank you so much to @jendelucawrites and @berkleyromance for my gifted e-ARC! Can’t wait to discuss this one soon with @berittalksbooks and the @letstalkbookspromo group soon!

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I really enjoyed this third book in the series. I am a big fan of the fake-dating trope. I loved that April was a bit older than Mitch. I appreciated the growth in both of our main characters. April has a lot to work through because of her accident and past relationships. I enjoyed watching her come out of her shell and show more strength. I would have loved to see her in therapy and not just have her relationship be what helps her grow. I also loved seeing more to Mitch than the jock/playboy image he portrays. I was really glad to have more scenes back at the Renaissance Faire in this one. Overall I thought this was a fun, delightful read and would definitely read more from this author.

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