This was a solid entry in the series. However, it started really slowly. The action didn't pick up until the second half of the book. It's fun to catch up with characters from previous series entries, but the main characters of this one were overshadowed. There was also a lot of words, but not a lot going on. It was meh, but people who enjoyed the previous titles in the series should enjoy it.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

While I've enjoyed all of the books in this series, I found this one to be the best yet. Just a nice little book about two people learning to look beyond the obvious, and to be open to changes in their lives. The RenFaire settings of these books are just great fun, including the wide variety of participants and shopkeepers there. And it's always nice to have a little catch-up with some of the characters from the previous books.

What a lovely follow up on the series! Lulu taking time to get to know herself and what she wanted in life was refreshing to read. I loved seeing Dex as more than just a playboy.

Jen DeLuca's writing is always engaging; and I read this in an afternoon. It was fun and frothy... but I'm not sure I believed in the chemistry. The leads were a slightly unbelievable pairing.

When I first picked up the Well Met series this summer, I surprisingly fell quickly in love with the characters and binged all three books in two days. Then, I heard that Dex and Lulu's book was slated to be released late this fall and I was super excited. However, after having read the ARC, I think Well Traveled was the weakest book in the series for me. I felt that Lulu wasn't as developed as a character compared to our previous female MCs, which is disappointing considering the potential her arc had as a Type A lawyer who strives for validation from those around her but is in desperate need of a break.

I also didn't see any connection between Lulu and Dex at all. They had very minimal interactions in the book before getting together, and this felt strange to me compared to the charged slowburns we've seen in the previous three novels in this series. The romance was definitely done better in the previous books. I was barely rooting for them by the time the "love confession" scene came around.

Lastly, although I loved getting to see glimpses of the previous characters in this series again, such as Stacey, Daniel, Mitch, April, Simon, and Emily, I think the setting and theme of this series is feeling a little redundant for me at this point in Book 4. Pretty much all books, except Well Played feature our female MC being an outsider to Renaissance Faires and slowly becoming accustomed to the traditions of the Faire as the story progresses, and that narrative definitely felt repetitive in Lulu's case. I'm not sure of Jen DeLuca has any more books planned in this series, but I think this might be the last book in the series for me. Overall, I'd give this book 3 stars.

I couldn't wait to return to Jen DeLuca's faire scene! I fell hard for the roguish pirate Simon in Well Met. Dreamed alongside Stacey in Well Played. Drooled over kilted Mitch in Well Matched. So, when I found out the Mitch's hilarious, workaholic cousin, Lulu, was the star of the show in the 4th book, Well Traveled, I knew right away that I was going to ditch the real world for another romp among the Renaissance faires!
When Louisa Malone finds herself grinding her spirit to dust for a law firm with no intention of making her a partner, she has a meltdown in spectacular fashion. Thankfully, her cousin's friend, Stacey, happens to see the glowing ruin of Lulu's personal and professional life and offers her a chance to go off-grid, riding along with their traveling performers for a summer of Renaissance faires. With no phone, no laptop, and no prospects, Lulu is in for a wild ride of kilts, turkey legs, fortune tellers, and hot summer nights. For the perfect, dreamy escape run, don't walk to your nearest bookshelves and grab this book!
#WellTraveled #NetGalley

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC! I was so excited that my request was accepted!

I am a huge fan of this series and was happy to read the next installment.
I give this one 3.5 stars out of 5

Louisa "Lulu" Malone is Mitch's cousin, whom we met in the last installment. She finds herself at her breaking point and abruptly pivots her life, beginning with a detour on the Renaissance Faire circuit. She meets up with the Dueling Kilts band and catches the eye of the guitarist, Dex MacLean. They spend a whirlwind number of weeks together and Lulu ends up truly unplugging and also falling in love.

She was a great character and I enjoyed reading about her journey. Her connection with Stacey and other festival regulars were highlights of the book for me.

A few of the things that I didn't enjoy were the pace of the book. I thought it dragged at the beginning and made it a bit difficult to connect to the characters. I also felt like we didn't really get to see why Dex went from playboy to devoted love. Their connection felt like it came out of nowhere.

Overall, the book was a satisfying installment to the series and I was happy to be immersed in the world of Ren Faire's once again.

Finally! Another Ren Faire book. I don't know why I say "finally" when Jen Deluca has been so good to us, giving us a new installment in her series of companion rom coms pretty much every fall. I am lucky enough to have been given the chance to read this one early, and just like the bodice I bought at Moresca at the Maryland Renaissance Faire last year, it holds up.

Lulu is a high-powered attorney whose boss doesn't appreciate her, so one Saturday while traveling for work and visiting the local Renaissance Faire, she quits, hangs up on her boss, and tosses her phone into the laundry wench's washbasin (yes bitch. yes.).

From then on she joins up with the Dueling Kilts, a group that readers of this series will be familiar with, and quickly becomes attracted to Dex, the Lothario of the Ren Faire circuit. Their romance is fun, sweet, and just what I wanted to read by the pool this summer.

Lulu is passionate and not afraid to speak her mind when she feels like justice is not being served. Very Aries vibes. At times I found her a bit snobbish with constantly having to stop herself from rolling her eyes, but I think she becomes more open minded throughout the book.

Dex is by far DeLuca's most appealing leading man so far. Despite the fact that he's portrayed as a bit of a misogynist at the beginning, we soon realize that's not who he really is. Dex is hot, and he plays the guitar, he gets his girl coffee every morning, and I don't care if he has a man bun!!

My only complaint is that sometimes it felt like Deluca didn't know where or how to end some of the chapters, as if the emotional stakes weren't high enough (even though I definitely felt they were). Sometimes it felt like a chapter just ended without a good transition. However this was a small thing and overall, I loved this one just as much if not more than the others in the series. I am pretty sure Well Matched is still my favorite, but this one was so much fun and also makes me want to learn more about Tarot card reading.

If you are a fan of this series, you will not be disappointed!

Now, when are we getting Caitlin's love story???

Well Traveled is the fourth installment of the Well Met series. We met Lulu, Mitch’s cousin in Well Matched. She is a lawyer for a big law firm. When she is passed over again for an opportunity at promotion by a male counterpart. In her frustration she quits her job and discards her phone in the laundry wenches bath water. Without a phone, without a job, and stuck at a Renn-fest in a different state, Lulu decides to tag a long with the Dueling Kilts until they reach the Renn-fest that her cousin, Mitch, helps run.

My hope was that Lulu would be the next character to see in the Well Met series. I loved her in the previous installment and was ecstatic to know she as getting her won book with Dex. Dex was a character I wouldn’t have thought I would like due to his playboy nature. In this novel though, you learn much more about his personality and he’s not just the playboy we think he is.

Overall, an enjoyable series. Wondering if it will continue after this one…

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this ARC. Will be suggesting this to my friends.

I have mixed feelings about this book because I absolutely adored Lulu as a main character, and with her leading the way, I thought this would have the potential to be my favorite of the series. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite happen.

I do still adore Lulu and I loved following along on her journey, but I will say this book felt more of a “main character’s journey” to finding happiness rather than a romance, and with this series being what it is, I did expect a romance. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy her finding herself and her passion, but it wasn't what we've come to know and love with this series.

I’m also still not sold on Dex as a love interest. DeLuca did such a good job of establishing him, especially in the last book, as this player/misogynistic guy that it was hard for me to believe that he so suddenly could do a 180 and be the “misunderstood love interest.” He claims to be a jerk because that’s what people expect of him, but does that really explain his behavior in the last book? It didn’t for me. And I tried to put that aside because this was a new book, but I still wasn't sold on him by the end.

I also wasn’t sold on the chemistry between Lulu and Dex. Since the book was so focused on her and not particularly focused on their romance, it felt pretty underdeveloped, and I didn’t feel any real passion between them like we have in the previous books between other love interests.

All in all, this book, unfortunately, fell short for me, and Well Met will continue to be my favorite of the series.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think this may be my favorite book in the series. I wish these characters were real and loved Lulu and Dex separately and together. I’d read these stories of ren faire characters forever!

Though not my favorite in the series, I did really enjoy getting to know these characters more. The ending felt a touch contrived, with loose ends tied up a little too nicely. I was rooting for Lulu to abandon law (or at least apply it to a Renaissance setting) and become a professional tarot card reader, and though the choices she made didn't feel out of character, I felt like Renaissance Lulu should've been more prevalent.

Not my favorite in the series but still another great story. Fun to read and still makes me determined to get to a Renaissance Faire.

I have read all of Jen DeLuca's books and it was so great to go back to her work of Renaissance faires. We got to know Dex in the last book, so it was good to see his transformation from a FBoy to a Nice Guy for Lulu. Lulu quits her job as a high powered lawyer when she is continually passed over for a promotion in favor of men at her firm. In her moment of crisis, she is at a renaissance faire to check out the Dueling Kilts and see old friends of her cousin Mitch. Mithc convinces her to take time off of work, and technology, and travel with the Dueling Kilts as they go through various faires. Lulu had some forced proximity situations with Dex, but also saw all the women asking about Dex that had been seeing him in the past. It was great to see Lulu grow and expand, by helping at the various places at the faire, to helping the fortune tellers. I thought the end was satisfying since we got a HEA.

If there was one book that summarizes the mood for 2022, it’s this one. When Louisa Malone realizes that all she has sacrificed: the long hours, time away from family, and loss of self-identity - is still not enough to secure the coveted partner spot at her law firm, she decides to throw it out with the wash water- literally!

Living off-grid and traveling with a Renaissance Faire band isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Living in a tiny camper and helping out vendors is tiring work, but as soon as Louisa leans into the new lifestyle, she discovers what she had been missing: inner peace, self-worth, and, most importantly, love.

The love story is soft but, at the same time, has a heart-twisting ticking clock. The use of a single POV lends well to the little misunderstandings between a no-nonsense woman and a younger modern man who believes he needs to play a particular role in society.

If you dreamt of getting away and leaving your fates up to the cards- pick up this book. DeLuca’s vibrant cast of characters will have you longing for your own adventure filled with long skirts, turkey legs, and a kilt-wearing, guitar-playing “Ren Faire Lothario”.

Another WELL done book by Jen DeLuca. Fans of the series will be thrilled. Highly recommended to music lovers, renfaire goers and romance readers. Highly recommended and will be getting a copy for the library.

3.75, rounded up because hell yes I'd like to run away from my life; I'll happily read that fantasy.

Issues:
- Lacking the core characters from Willow Creek that made love this series in the first place.
- Dex's evolution from casual lover of groupies to devoted boyfriend seemed abrupt.
- Lulu and Dex's relationship worked well, and I think they were excellent foils to each other, the progression of their relationship, especially in the beginning, felt stilted.

Things I love:
- A 40-something woman realizing her life is not what she wants and hopping off that train.
- Older woman/younger man (not by much, but still, refreshing)
- Woman holding each other up rather than tearing them down
- RenFair/theatre people/performers

Not my favorite of the three, and I kind of struggled to hit my reading stride through the first half, but definitely worth checking out, especially if you're a fan of the series.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

To say I devoured this book is a gross understatement. I love Jen Deluca’s Ren-Faire rom-coms & was so excited to see the upcoming “Well Traveled” was already on #NetGalley. Huge thanks to @NetGalley and Berkley Romance for the chance to read this advanced e-galley copy. All opinions are my own.

I grew up going to the big Renaissance Faire in Southern California each year for several years & it was always such a highlight for me so Jen Deluca’s Well Met series is right up my alley. Her authentic details from her own experience makes these books so immersive & it feels like diving into a fantasy world just like the characters do. Lulu and Dex’s story is yet another great installment within the Ren-Faire community. Lulu needs a life reset & familiar characters from previous books just happen to be in the right place to intervene and help her get off-grid. She ends up living the Faire life for the summer with the Stacey & Daniel and the Dueling Kilts, including here-for-the-hookups-Dex. I loved the evolution of the relationship between Lulu and Dex - their chemistry is really fun. I also loved Lulu’s character journey as she found her way through the digital detox and forging her new path, or more accurately, getting herself back on the path she had once set out to take. I also enjoyed how Dex evolved as well - Deluca always captures how meeting the right person can wake someone up to new possibilities and feelings.

As always, I’m left happy but also wanting more! I don’t know if she has plans for more stories within the greater Willow Creek world, but I really enjoy the ongoing storylines for Stacey, Daniel, April, Mitch, Simon, Emily, & Caitlin. I hope there will be more of everyone - including Lulu & Dex.

I confess: I've loved every minute of Jen DeLuca's Ren Faire romances, starting with WELL MET, and this book stands up well to those other top-notch stories, though it can stand equally well on its own. Overworked Lulu runs away to join the Ren Faire and finds herself in close quarters with Dex, bad boy guitarist with a sweetheart at every travel stop. Sensible Lulu is getting her life together and doesn't plan to waste any of it pining for a guy no one can pin down. But what if there's something going on beneath that messy man bun that is as, if not more attractive, than those legs in a kilt?

We've seen Dex work his woo in earlier books, so I admit I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to buy that he suddenly turns into relationship material. But look, the reformed rake trope works for Regencies, and it works here too. What makes it work is that the first half of the story--maybe most of the story--is about Lulu's quest to find herself, and once she has herself somewhat sorted, then it makes sense that she could fall for the guy that Dex turns out to be. (We've been underestimating him all along. Who knew?)

After she realizes the law firm that has overworked her and stolen her soul is never, ever going to make her partner, Louisa quits, throws her phone in the tub at the laundry wench show (trust me, the scene is hilarious), and agrees to travel with her friend Stacey and the Dueling Kilts until she can take refuge with cousin Mitch (another guy with the build for a kilt). Living in a camper, eating in the open air, and cuddling with Benedict the tuxedo cat is the therapy Louisa needs to find her better self--Lulu.

At first, Dex is just around. Flirtatious. Friendly. Doing his (eye roll) Dex thing. But when the musical chairs of their sleeping arrangements makes Dex her camper roomie at one faire, Lulu finds herself unexpectedly enjoying his company. He's a talented and dedicated musician. He's hugely loyal to his family. His relaxed attitude to things is a bonus, given that she's high strung. And when she sees Dex take the part of his brother Todd, who's in love, even if it means Todd might break up the band, Lulu starts to admit that he's an attractive guy. Or maybe that's when I started to admit that he's an attractive guy.

And once the attraction is mutual, the romance gets going full steam, and I do mean steam. It's all great fun, with DeLuca's dry humor along with real heart for her characters and her ability to pull off even the absurdest situations. Lulu is pressed to rethink quite a few of her values--including her take on tarot cards, after she falls in with the fortune telling contingent of the faire circuit--and that personal evolution makes the romance all the more charming. Plus, along the journey to Willow Creek, we get to enjoy the other couples we've fallen in love with--Stacey and Daniel, Mitch and April, Simon and Emily--and even get to see how Caitlin is growing up.

In short, this book delivers everything I want in my rom coms: characters I love who reveal unexpected depths, a journey of personal growth as well as sizzling courtship, fun, humor, the occasional poignant (but never too heavy) moment, and an adorable pet. And a resolution that lets the characters have their career goals and realize their dreams *and* get to eat the relationship cake, too. In short, this was a winner for me all around, and I'm crossing my fingers that DeLuca isn't done with the Ren Faire bit just yet.

**Review will be shared on my site/socials December 1st, 2022**

ADORED.

Good heavens, I LOVE THIS SERIES. I flipped out when my ARC approval came in and it did NOT disappoint.

I looooooved Dex. He was a rake with a soft side. There were perfectly well written moments of the way he looks at Lulu. The many times he leaned in to give her little forehead/hair kisses. How he pulled her into him anytime Lulu was near just to have her close. I CAN’T HANDLE THESE SITUATIONS. I am a puddle. It was the SWEETEST. What really makes a romance for me are all of those subtle moments. The moments where a character is saying you’re mine, I’m yours in that tender, loving way that encompasses all they’re feeling.

My tiny tidbit would be that there wasn’t very much romantic development until the halfway point. I would have even been cool with some good flirting and banter. But I gotta give it up to that second half. It really sealed the deal on this relationship.

I also really liked the journey that Louisa went on. From a mental breakdown at a Ren Faire, to finding a balance between work she was actually happy about doing and life around her, it was everything I love in a female main character. Going off the grid was a fun concept and I love how she just went for it. Lulu was all in for her summer fling and everything it came with.

I’m realizing I could just keep going with everything I loved, so I’ll say it again now, READ THIS SERIES [note*: not necessary to read the others, but it does help you get good background because all previous couples make an appearance here!!]. This book had it all and gave me the best feelings.

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: 1-2 open door; low explicit, light innuendo
- Trigger/Content Warnings: anxiety depiction