Ah, the continuation of the Well Met series. I'm very passionate about this series, and I did enjoy this next installment. I loved Lulu, and her growth, and how she finally came to figure out what she wanted. I was less impressed with Dex. It felt like most of what I know about Dex at the end of this book was told to me as Lulu's opinions, and not based on what we actually see, if that makes any sense? It meant that at the end of it all, I wasn't yearning for them to beat the odds and find a way to make it work. I was just sort of like, mildly pleased when they found their way back to each other. Worth a read if you've read the other books, but not what I would consider a standalone.

I absolutely adore Jen DeLuca's stories. The Renaissance Fairs as a setting makes me feel warm inside. I felt more drawn to this book than others in the series, though, because the workaholic unplugging for a few months sounds like a dream - especially with a dreamy love interest by my side.

Another great addition to the Well Met series! This time, we followed Mitch's cousin Lulu who finds herself at her wit's end with her job at a law firm. After a spur-of-the-moment reaction, she finds herself jobless and feeling lost... so why wouldn't she spend the summer touring Renaissance Faires with a group of sexy men in kilts?

I really liked the progression of Lulu's character, and how she must revisit everything she thought she knew about her future and carve a new path for herself. It was also nice to get more action of the actual Ren Faire, which has been lacking in some of the last couple of books. I do wish we had gotten a little more of the progression of the romance between Dex and Lulu, rather than just a lust-at-first-sight turned to love. Overall, another solid contribution from Jen DeLuca!

Mitch’s cousin Louisa, a high-powered attorney, has had enough. After getting passed up for the latest partner position at her law firm, she quits her job. And what better place to spontaneously quit your job than at the local Renaissance faire, where you happened to know some people. When Stacey and The Dueling Kilts invite Louisa along to travel with them for the summer, Louisa decides that for once she’s going to do something wild. Louisa knows that the lead singer of The Dueling Kilts, Dex MacLean is bad news. As she tags along with the group, she begins to see a whole now side of Dex, a side that Dex himself may not even be aware of.

I think I just love the Malone family the most. First Mitch, now Louisa (Lulu), they are just the best characters. While Mitch was all sunshine, Lulu is a woman with plan. She’s spent her life climbing the corporate ladder, and it made me giddy to see her just straight up quit. I loved her strong personality, and the way DeLuca made her fit right into the Faire scene was my favorite part. But for being a thirty-year-old women, she didn’t seem very emotionally mature.

I’ll admit, I thought Dex would have more bad boy traits than he actually did. Which I suppose made me like him just a bit more, however I still feel as if we don’t actually know Dex. I could have used more insight into his perspective, and while we come to find out how much he’ll do for family, he just didn’t seem realistic.

The romance between Dex and Lulu also wasn’t as magnetic as Mitch/April’s, or Emily/Simon’s from books 1 & 3. I felt there was quite a bit of build up without a ton of payoff and the magic just wasn’t.

Overall, I enjoyed the newest installment in the Well Met series and if another comes out, I’ll definitely be picking it up. However, Well Met and Well Matched are still my favorite of the series.

Well Traveled is out now. Huge thank you to Berkley Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.

I love Jen DeLuca’s Well Met series! I love taking a trip to a Renaissance Faire through her stories, seeing the little skits and shows, the costumes, and the fun booths where people sell things. I never wanted to visit one of these faires until I started reading these books. What a dream it would be to see one in real life! Especially if there’s as many opportunities to fall in love as this series makes it seem! Well Traveled is the 4th (and final) book in this series, and while it does stand on its own I recommend reading the other books because characters from the earlier books show up in this one. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. Lulu comes onto the scene in a previous book for just a little bit, but she made an impression and I was so excited to find out she was going to get her own story in this series! Lulu is Mitch’s cousin, and if you’ve read the other books in this series you’ll remember Mitch as the kilted life of the party, who plays a role in the human chess match at every Faire. She’s an attorney, has a bit of a crisis, and runs off to the Faire where she meets a group of brothers who spend their summers traveling from Faire to Faire playing their music. Lulu goes through a lot of personal growth in this book, more so than we saw with the leading ladies in DeLuca’s other stories. She grapples with work/life balance, figuring out what she wants out of life, and letting loose a little in order to find her happiness. She tosses her phone into a wash bin, hands off her laptop to a friend for safekeeping, and goes off the grid in order to reset. That takes bravery and determination, and I loved this journey for her.

2. Dex, swoony member of the band The Dueling Kilts, is just… *dreamy sigh*. He’s a rake, who seems to be ready to find someone to settle down with. He just doesn’t know it yet. And he surprises himself when he starts realizing that the idea of having one someone to love is appealing after all. The way he looks at Lulu and the things he thinks about her had me swooning. I love it when the bad boy starts to soften because he starts thinking about the big picture instead of only living in the moment.

3. The romance between Lulu and Dex blooms at a very slow and tender rate. It was so nice to luxuriate in all their little moments together. I just feel like these two are going to make it. They went from relatively indifferent to one another, to friends, to more and it felt so genuine and authentic. There’s some steamy scenes (hello RV moment, I’m looking at you), which haven’t been too prominent in DeLuca’s other books. That being said, this almost felt more women’s fiction than romance for the bulk of the book. Which is FINE. I would have liked a little more banter and flirting between our two leads, though. The romance takes a bit of a backseat to the growth Lulu goes through until later on in the book. But I didn’t mind!

4. The secondary characters were wonderful. Lulu finds a group of card readers and develops a friendship that helps her along her way. I liked that friendship aspect. I also loved the friendships she formed with the other members of the band/team.

5. There’s SO much Renn Faire in this, and I loved it. I loved all the descriptions of the Faire, what life is like when you travel from one to the next, etc. It was so much fun.

6. I loved catching up with the couples and characters from the previous books, and seeing where their lives have taken them. I’m going to miss everyone!

7. Jen’s writing is so good. Her descriptions, the things she has her characters say to each other, and the small moments that add up to such a wonderful story are all perfection.

What a wonderful conclusion to this series. I’ve been saying for quite some time that Well Played is my favorite book in this series, but Well Traveled might have taken its place now. I highly recommend Jen DeLuca’s books, and can’t wait to see what she does next!

I’m getting so much better at staying on top of series! I recently finished Well Traveled, the fourth book in the Well Met series by @jendelucawrites and it might just be the best one yet!

Louisa is a very busy and successful attorney who is burnt out. She goes slightly nutty and decides to take a page from her cousin Mitch’s book and join the Ren Faire!! A first she’s trying to figure out her place and works the turkey leg stand. Soon she becomes close with a group of women who read tarot cards and Louisa helps them build their business into better efficient time management and more marketing. She travels to different areas with them as the Ren Faire is touring the United States.

She meets Dex, the lead guitarist of the Dueling Kilts and she is immediately drawn to him. But so is every other woman in a local radius and Dex has quite the reputation for showing women his kilt. But Lulu (as she’s known at the Ren Faire) is beguiling to Dex and he starts to this maybe there’s a more to life than sleeping around.

This was such a fun book; originally we need Dex back in book 2 and he’s kind of a jerk. He redeems himself here and it’s fun to watch Lulu let her hair down with Dex. At heart Lulu is a lawyer and this was just a temporary break from normal life, but I like that they make it work. I also like that after listening to the tarot card readers, Lulu tries it out herself!

A fun addition to the Well Met universe, this time focusing on overworked lawyer Lulu and badboy Dex. While this story didn't have quite as much pop as the previous three, I still enjoyed returning to the world of Renn Faire and Willow Creek. DeLuca always draws likable characters and avoids some of the major pitfalls of modern romance. I hope the series continues!

This is the fourth book in the Well-Met world surrounding small-town renaissance fairs. Everyone one of these books makes me want to run away to join the nearest ren fair near me.

Though I did like this book, I wouldn't consider it a romance and I wouldn't say it is necessary for this series. I can barely remember anything about the romance as it is not really even a factor in any of the character's decisions. It is a reformed playboy romance but I didn't see him in love with Lulu at all. He was such a blip in this story.

This was mostly Lulu's story of rediscovery and while I did enjoy a lot of that, I wanted a romance.

I'm going to start by saying I was a little worried about this story after the slander Dex has gone through in the other books. But honestly Lulu was the perfect fit for him because she never took anyone else words and applied them to him! I also really enjoyed the slow burn element to this book, it almost got to the point where I was wondering if Dex was actually the hero. I really enjoyed the story and have loved this universe Jen Deluca has put together. I look forward to more from her in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

Super cute sequel to the series! I went into to this book with somewhat low expectations because I just did not believe DeLuca could convince me to like Dex, but I was pleasantly surprised! She did a great job of writing out his character in a believable way. It was also fun to follow a side character from the previous book. I continue to really like how DeLuca writes and the dramatic, but not melodramatic, romance with sweetness and some funniness.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for a copy to read and review

After a life altering decision, Louisa “Lulu” Malone decides to cut out technology and start focusing on herself, and that starts with traveling with the Dueling Kilts, a group of handsome men in kilts as they play at Renaissance Faires and win hearts. But, along the way, Lulu meets Dex, a key member of the Dueling Kilts and simply can’t fight off her attraction for him. Who doesn’t like a man in kilts, especially with the talent that Dex has, Lulu realizes that there is something about Dex that makes her intrigued.

I gave Well Traveled four stars, really enjoying the aspect of the Renaissance Faire and how Lulu was able to find herself without the restrictions of technology and the pressures of her old job. Now that Lulu went through some life altering changes, the Renaissance Fair has the people that she needs to surround herself with. I really enjoyed Dex and Lulu and found themselves really cute. I thought that Lulu’s character growth was really enjoyable and I felt that she was so easy to connect with. I had fun reading this and seeing all of these characters reappear felt really nice. When we saw Dex in book two, Well Played, I found that his character was okay and I didn’t really see his character as someone who was interesting, but, I liked his character in Well Traveled and felt that he matched Lulu really well.

Well Traveled was really cute and I found myself enjoying this book. Lulu and Dex had such a good relationship and found myself having fun and also loved the character development and found myself enjoying the way it too much, loving Lulu and Dex.

Every book in the Well Met series has been an auto-buy for me. I've adored every book — the writing, the romance and the storylines are fantastic. While Well Traveled isn't my favourite in this series (it will forever be reserved for Simon and Emily's story in Well Met), I really had a great time reading it! The renaissance faire setting is always enjoyable and I loved seeing Lulu grow as a character. I highly recommend this entire series and I can't wait for whatever Jen DeLuca releases next!

Thank you to @netgalley @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to @prhaudio for a free download of the audiobook. And thank you to @berittalksbooks and @dg_reads for including me on this buddy read.

If you haven’t read the RenFaire series by @jendelucawrites , you are missing out. Especially with the latest addition, Well Traveled. I have to say this is my favorite so far. While all the others were cute, I related to Lulu needing to balance work and life and the need to escape it all.

Lulu chooses to visit the local RenFaire while she is out of town for business. She has the high power lawyer job her parents expect. What she doesn’t have is a life outside of that. It doesn’t take much for her to figure out that she will never make the partner position, she had been working so hard for….so she walks away. Walks away and right into the life of the Faire. It doesn’t help that Dex is around…with his eye on her. Dex, the playboy from the prior books.

5 stars

#books #bookishlife #booklover #readingisfun #iowabookstagrammers #iowabookstagram #netgalley #berkleypub #berkleyromance #berkleybuddyreads #prhaudio #ltbreaderteam #berkelywritesstrongwomen #welltraveled #jendeluca

ANYTHING Jen ever writers will be auto buy for me because of this series. I literally have not ever been disappointed by a single book, especially this one which FRIENDS TO LOVERS, yes please. So excited to have Dex and Lulu's story on my shelf!

“Being without you … it’s like half of a life. You took the other half with you when you left.”

Happy pub week to @jendelucawrites and WELL TRAVELED!!

I’ve adored every one of @jendelucawrites books in the Well Met series, but this one is my very favorite. As someone who is a huge people pleaser, I saw so much of myself in Lulu, and when she decided to take to the road for a slice of the Ren Faire life, I was there for it!!

While Mitch and April’s story had me laughing out loud, this one kept hitting me in the feels and didn’t let go. The ladies of the Mystics Glade were AMAZING, Stacey and Daniel were wonderful, and Grandma Malone, Mitch, and Freddy all made me so damn happy and proud!

And DEX. That man has my heart, forever and ever. He has the biggest heart, and even without his kilt and guitar-playing ways, and his effortless man-bun, I’d follow him anywhere too! 😍🤣

And as always, I did a mixed-media read of this one, and the audiobook narrated by @britpressley was SOLID GOLD!

Thank you so, so much to @prhaudio partner for my complimentary audio copy, to @berittalksbooks @dg_reads @letstalkbookspromo @berkleyromance and @netgalley for my eARC, and to @jendelucawrites for this beautiful story!!

I love it when a long awaited book in a series comes out- it is a gift any time of year! I have read all of Jen DeLuca’s Well Met series, so getting the chance to read book number four, Well Traveled, was a real treat.
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This romance, set amongst a Renaissance Faire, with jousting, fair maidens, turkey legs, taverns and men in kilts is a wonderful little escape that is fun to read!
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This time the Faire is traveling and characters that we love are traveling with it. It is always fun to see old book friends again. This story focuses on Dex, one of the men in kilts, and Lulu, who escapes to the Faire when her high powered life as an attorney isn’t working for her.
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I thought it was a little light in the romance department but still heavy in all the fun and role playing a Renaissance Faire promises.
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Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for providing an arc for an honest review.

Two things. I now want to run away and join the Ren Faire and am now taking applications for kilt wearing himbos with hearts of gold. I absolutely adored this book! I loved the descriptions of the different fairs, costumes and shows. I loved how she described such a welcoming and kind community of people and it made me so happy. We start with Lulu deciding to make a detour to the local Ren Faire to take a break from her demanding job as a lawyer. After a series of phone calls, texts and an incident with a laundry tub Lulu is convinced by her cousin, Mitch to spend the summer with The Dueling Kilts as they travel around to different Ren Fairs. What starts out as a scary unknown begins to feel more like a promising start to a new life. She is welcomed by the community and finds friendship and family along the way. As her unexpected journey unfolds she finds something or someone rather who is even more unexpected, Dex MacLean. As the guitarist for The Dueling Kilts and the Ren Faire Casanova, Lulu makes it a point to ignore him, no matter how charming he may be. But the more time she spends with Dex the more she finds that he is more than "one who plays the guitar, and looks pretty."

This is such a sweet story of found family, finding your own way, and accepting the gifts the universe gives to you. I had a smile on my face the entire time and am looking forward to my local Ren Faire.

These books always make me want to go to a Ren Fairre. I love this series and was excited for this book! Jen didn’t let us down! It’s light and fun and everything I’ve come to expect from Jen and this series.

I love when characters don’t have to give up their dreams or what they want in order to be together. No one should have to sacrifice themselves for a relationship.

Thank you for this eARC!

I think this is part of a series where the characters live in the same universe but the main characters are different in each book. This is my first read by this author and I was able to follow and enjoy the book as a stand alone.

I was so jealous of LuLu. While I don’t want to get fired, I love that she got a second chance to find what works for her. And all while spending some time with great people at a traveling fair. I really liked that in addition to the romance, there was a whole plotline and LuLu’s growth and friendships she made along the way.

It seemed a little light on the romance, but what there was, was good. While I can’t compare it to the others in the series, I did like the read and listen.

I’d like to the @prhaudio and @berkleybooks for my arc and alc books.

The fourth installment of the Well Met series, Well Traveled did a good job in tying up the series. I enjoyed the dynamic between Lulu and well-known player, Dex and their relationship arc. However, it did ring a bit too close to the last book series, Well Matched with Mitch being the “player” and felt this should have been changed up somehow and I expected a bit more humour like in the previous books. Other than that, this was a fun story to listen to as the narrators were fantastic and did a great job engaging me into the story. Also, I love the references to occurrences that happened in the previous stories to wrap things up.