Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars - I continue to be conflicted on how to rate these books because, apart from the first one, I don't feel like the romances themselves are wholly satisfying. However, I love the characters, atmosphere, and themes... so I do still enjoy these as I guess a "women's fiction" type of story with a strong romantic element
I loved that this started with the big city workaholic giving up on that lifestyle; that's often the point the book builds to, so I felt like this was a fresh take on that trope to have that be the starting point of the story. I really enjoyed seeing Lulu's development and "finding herself;" that said, I just don't know that I totally bought her & Dex coming together
Anyways, rambling here- bottom line is very well written & executed as a book overall, but I continue to be left a little cold by the romance itself

This series is so cute! Maybe getting a tiny bit repetitive, but I also kinda want to go to a ren faire haha.

Ren fair play boy, Dex, becomes friends with Lulu- lawyer trying to escape her life for a bit. He's not used to being taken seriously, she isn't used to not working. They develop a really sweet friendship that moves into more.

Get me to a Ren Fair stat! No one has made a stronger PSA for the sexiness of renaissance faires and their patrons than Jen DeLuca. I have loved every book in this series, but I think We’ll Traveled is my favorite. Lulu and Dex are so great together; they’re both confident, have realistic expectations and most importantly, respect each other. They’re also just a while hell of a lot of fun to read. I’d love to see these books become a tv series or movies… Hallmark? Netflix? Are you listening?! I recommend this series as some of the most entertaining rom com I’ve ever read!

Do I now have a favorite in this series? Hell yes, I do!

I know I was excited for another Ren Faire romance, but I did not expect it to become my favorite in the series.

Well Traveled follows Lulu, the hard-working cousin to Mitch. While at a Ren Faire taking a break from work she snaps and quits her job and throws her phone in a "lake". She then joins the Dueling Kilts as they travel, which leads to a great discovery of the true characterization of Dex, the lead in the Band.

I will be honest, there isn't much tension or drama in this book. Instead, it was more about self-discovery and growth. Lulu stepping away from the corporate rat wheel to take a break and also find herself again was something I think most people can relate to. God knows I wish I could do the same. Not only do we see her grow but we also see the true sides of Dex. From a simple, flat, plot device Dex becomes a fully fleshed-out character without invalidating his previous role. Before I started reading I wasn't happy to hear that Dex was the main character, but I was quickly proven wrong. Dex and Lulu completed each other and respected each other in a way I really appreciated. I couldn't put it down I was invested in these two characters too much.

Overall, I 100 percent suggest this book!

Have you ever dreamed of running away from your dead-end job and joining a renaissance fair travelling with a family of musicians who wear kilts? No? You will once you read Well Traveled. Following Lousia (Lulu) as she experiences a life-altering panic attack leading to her quitting her job and leaning on her cousins friends and her family of traditional folk musicians as they go from renaissance fair to renaissance fair. Well Traveled raising brilliant point regarding work/life balance and compromising for the life you want to live. It was an honest delight to read and a perfect addition to the series.

This series is fun, but it's been a bit uneven. The confines of these rennaisance faires has made it difficult to create plots that are believable. And DeLuca has also struggled to create believable chemistry in several, including this one. I never figured out why Dex wanted LuLu other than some indefinable attraction, which is not enough to chuck your life for. It was a miss. But if you love the rennaissance faire background it might be enjoyable. The relationship LuLu built with the Tarot card readers was the best part.

Louisa "Lulu" Malone comes from a success-driven family and has dedicated years of her life to a job that will never appreciate her. When Lulu finally comes to this realization, she decides that she's had enough. Knowing that she needs a break from life, Lulu's cousin, Mitch, convinces her to escape with his friends to the Renaissance Faire. Lulu reluctantly agrees and soon finds herself hawking turkey legs and sleeping in a cramped motorhome with the Renn Faire Lothario himself, Dex MacLean.

Dex MacLean is well-known on the Renn Faire circuit, not only for his family band, the Dueling Kilts but for having a girl at every stop. He's got that carefree, playboy persona down to a T, but the one person he isn't fooling is Lulu. For the first time in his life, a woman is immune to his charms, and Dex can't help but be intrigued. It doesn't take long for the pair to start opening up while stuck in such tight quarters, and soon Lulu is seeing another side to Dex that no one else has seen before. He's not just a pretty face like everyone says; he's driven and has plans for the future. Lulu knows her time on the road is dwindling, and her real life is catching up to her, but she can't help hoping those plans will include her.

I really enjoy this series. I find the Renn Faire setting so whimsical and charming, and it feels like getting a peek into a wacky summer camp. While I liked this latest installment, it wasn't my favorite. I thought it felt similar to the last book, especially with how Dex is perceived. He and Mitch both had that feeling of being portrayed as pretty faces with nothing of substance underneath, but then realizing they have so much more to give once you get to know them. Dex is also repeatedly referred to as this big playboy, but other than some flirting, he never really lived up to the rep. I did like him and Lulu and thought they worked well together. They both come from different worlds, so it was interesting seeing how they would find a balance. Though, I did think the ending resolution was a bit too convenient. Other than that, I thought this was fun but not the most memorable in the series.

Jen DeLuca's Renaissance Faire books are the perfect summer read (although this one is coming out in winter, and that's good too!), giving the vacation vibes you need if you're stuck at home. This one comes up right on the edge of the line between romance and women's/general fiction for me (not a problem of the book, just a question of how it's marketed), since the romance plot doesn't really kick in until about halfway through--the hero is there, but the first half is more about Lulu's development on her own, rather than how the main couple affects each other. That said, this is definitely fun, and the throwback to the characters you've seen before will satisfy return readers of the series.

I was thrilled to be back at the Faire! It was a treat to get to know Lulu and Dex better and to watch them grow to trust each other and themselves.

I felt this one started a little slower than the others. There were a few times in the middle where I lost interest a bit. Jen knows what she is doing though, and brought me back around. By the end, I couldn't get enough and wished I could read more about Lulu and Dex (and Simon/Emily, Mitch/April, Stacey/Daniel) and the entire Faire family.

Dex's growth made my heart smile and the man bun/kilt didn't hurt! Tough guys finding their feelings gets me every time. Lulu's journey from stressed out workaholic to grounded and self trusting was a joy to be a part of. These two left me with a goofy grin on my face.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this installment of the series. It made me laugh and cry, and just had me feeling all the feelings. Now I think I'll go back and re-read Well Met, Well Played, and Well Matched!

AMAZING! I'm so sad because this is the natural end of the series, but Deluca can easily transport you to the magic of the Renaissance fair no matter what time of year you pick up this series. I love the family that she created and would definitely love it if she wrote a quick flash-forward novella in the future to visit everyone (or a flash-forward so we can watch a certain young woman meet her someone in these magical woods)!

Yet another fun romp in the festival world. While the series can get a bit formulaic, it was nice to see the traveling side of the festival lifestyle again.

I will never not love coming back to Willow Creek, and We’ll Traveled was no exception. With each story, Jen not only introduces new characters I love, she dives into the depths of characters I already love and makes me love them more… I loved spending so much time with Stacey (and Benedick!). I loved the cameos from Mitch and April and Emily and Simon. I even loved the surprise depth of Caitlin! Watching her grow up from the kid she was in Well Met to the young woman she is in this book has been so much fun. (And I’m still hoping Jen will time jump a few years from 18 to mid twenties Caitlin for her love story for book 5, lol) But Dex and Lulu!! There was SO MUCH character growth in this story for both of them. I loved watching them grow into better versions of themselves, and that they didn’t change for each other. They changed for themselves and it just clicked with each other. They met in the middle for a life that’s not wholly conventional, but that *is* wholly them.

Forever a fan of Jen DeLuca. Anytime I can go back to Faire life, I will do it at the drop of a hat. This book follows Lulu and Dex's storyline. I was wondering if we'd ever get a Dex story, and I am SO glad we did! I loved following these two, and loved Lulu. She was a great addition to this already beloved series. 10/10

As a fan of this series I enjoyed Well Traveled.

Louisa, Mitch’s supportive cousin from Well Matched, realizes she is never going to make partner at her law firm and chucks her bothersome phone and all its cumbersome ties into a vat of water. Then she decides to escape the fallout by running away with the Renaissance Faire.

She immediately catches the eye of Dex MacLean, the bad boy guitarist for The Dueling Kilts. This is their story of how she learns life balance and he learns he’s more than what’s under his kilt.

In my opinion I think this book would have benefited from a dual POV. I really wanted Dex’s thought process of how and why he wants more from life and from Lulu.

All and all, another good addition to Jen DeLuca’s imaginative and clever series.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jen DeLuca has done it again, folks. She has truly done it again. I didn't think anything could make me root for a HEA for perennial f***boy Declan Maclean, but this book did. When I first heard that the fourth book in this series was going to focus on Lulu and Dex, I really wasn't sure I was going to like it. In some ways, Dex was kind of the "villain" of Well Played, but Well Traveled really turned me around on Dex and his whole story. So when the inevitable third act break-up came, I actually teared up. (I'm pregnant, so it might be hormones, but at least part of it was actually feeling for Dex and Lulu.)

Many thanks to Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the eARC of this book, provided in exchange for a review.

3.5

felt like it was missing some steps. not my favorite of the series, but still good and worth the read. i’ll always love how deluca captures the spirit of the faire.

#netgalley

I hate to say this, but as a huge fan of this series, this one did not hit the mark. I really liked getting back into the world DeLuca has built around this band and the renaissance fair life. Lulu’s character arc was a solid romance trope and while her growth was predictable, it was still a feel good story for our fair protagonist. On those fronts this was a great addition to the Well-Met World. However, as a romance? No dice. The chemistry between Lulu and Dex felt nonexistent and didn't really add to the story of Lulu’s life. Dex lacks a character arc which makes the HEA feel somewhat trite. I enjoyed reading this book, but it didn’t feel like the outstanding storytelling that has been in the previous books. Hopefully this proves to just be a one-off for DeLuca because I would like to see more in this series.

3.5 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! Recommended for series regulars/completists. I think this would have worked really nicely as a novella (Well Met #3.5). While enjoyable, not a whole lot happens. Dex is one dimensional and his tension with Lulu is a bit lacking.

This was an overall average read, that maybe as a standalone (meaning if you haven't read other books in this series) would be better. As someone who has read the first three books in this series and was left with very high expectations following the first book, I was a little disappointed with this book.
Pros:
The pacing in this book was great. It truly was a breezy read that you can blow through in a day, easily and didn't drag at any times.
Lulu's growth and self-discovery was great and I liked that she was able to figure out a way to do a job she is good at and wanted to continue on with but in a way that would allow her to have free time and not be forced to have no social life. It was a very common situation that people shouldn't have to live and breath their jobs.

Cons:
The chemistry between Lulu and Dex was nonexistent. The entire time I could not see beyond Dex as a 2-D character with literally zero goals, ambition, or personality. Once Lulu and Dex got together it felt like their relationship was a side character to the main story of Lulu's growth and self-discovery. It seemed like their relationship was an afterthought. Even at the end of the book when I knew they would end up together because it's a romance, I didn't particularly want Lulu and Dex to be together. Their lives were heading in completely different directions and it felt like they had nothing more than enough chemistry for a casual short-term relationship.
I would've liked to have at least a few chapters that were from Dex's perspective. I know this would deviate from DeLuca's M.O. in the other books in this series, but I think it would've gone a long way towards establishing Dex as more than a 2-D character whose only purpose was to make this book a romance. It also would've given insight into his feelings towards Lulu, which seemed nonexistent otherwise.

Overall, if you want an easy read that won't stress you out and will leave you with pretty much no bad feelings, then I'd say go ahead and read this. It wasn't bad but it wasn't exactly good either. If you are a fan of this series you'll likely enjoy having more time spent in the Ren Faire and seeing character's from previous books.

A sheer delight and probably the most joyful fun of the series. I don't know what it is about the Ren Faire setting...DeLuca makes it seem like the most romantic thing in the world. My one complaint is that Dex should be wearing a kilt on the cover!