Okay, y’all… this book is amazing!! If you love romance, you absolutely will be obsessed with this novel by debut author Jen DeLuca. Seriously, is a five star read for me. This book checks all the marks for me. It’s such a fun story, and legitimately had me laughing at places. I received an ebook copy through Netgalley to review , but I definitely want a physical copy to own (even the cover is adorable!). This is one of the best rom-coms I’ve read this year, and I can’t wait to see what else Jen DeLuca writes! I'm obsessed!!

What a lovely story! I love reading a book that makes me want to start it over again the minute I finish it. This book was a great story about finding friends, love, and figuring out where life should take you, set against the back drop of a local renaissance fair.

Jen DeLuca's debut novel is a treat. While not the best rom-com I've read lately, it is still enjoyable. The ren faire background is wonderful.

Such a cute story! I loved the romance and the characters. It was just a fun read and I stayed up way too late to finish it.

Well Met is bright, charming, and oh-so much fun! I adore Renaissance Faires and have a lot of respect for the time and effort the actors, entertainers, vendors, and volunteers put into these events so I couldn’t resist picking up this book, hoping for a lighthearted romance with a dash of faire flavor. Author Jen DeLuca more than delivered. The cast of characters was so endearing, the faire so fun, and the enemies-to-lovers romance between Emily and Simon so entertaining that I practically devoured this book.

The life Emily Parker had planned out just crashed down around her when her sister was in a bad car accident and needed help. Even though they’re not particularly close, Emily doesn’t hesitate to pack up her things and head for the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland. And when her teenage niece wants to take part in the local Ren Faire, Emily volunteers to work as a tavern wench. It’s the kind of person Emily is – kind and always ready to dive in and help. Emily isn’t perfect, but I liked her big heart, organizational skills, and vision. She’s also someone yearning to put down roots and the town of Willow Creek and the faire cast are just what she needs. I loved watching Emily get into the spirit of the faire and to become attached to the town and its delightful residents.

The one person Emily doesn’t hit it off with right away? Simon Graham, the brooding English teacher in charge of the entire faire. Unlike everyone else in Willow Creek, Simon is incredibly straight-laced and serious. But when he gets to the faire, Simon transforms into a flirtatious, sexy pirate who dazzles. I enjoyed both the stuffy and the roguish parts of Simon and, like Emily, I wanted to see the two come together. It’s clear to see why Simon and Emily clash at the beginning. And Simon definitely is a jerk to her to start with, but Ms. DeLuca makes it clear why he is the way he is (for reasons I won’t spoil). I was yearning to see Emily muss him up some and when they were in faire mode, the two of them shone. Their banter was flirty and fun and I cannot count the number of times they made me smile. But I loved watching them come together outside their roles even more, their romance entwining with their individual character growth. Their course of true love doesn’t run smooth in Well Met, but every bump on the road to happily ever after is worth it.

A cast of caring, welcoming secondary characters bring the town of Willow Creek to life and made me wish I could live there. The lovely romance, sparkling banter, and lively background all made Well Met the perfect pick-me-up when I really needed it. I adored Emily and Simon’s story and I cannot wait to read more of Ms. DeLuca’s books.

ARC received via Netgalley for an honest review

When the pirate falls for the tavern wench...

Simon and Emily's story is a slow burn hate-to-love story, where their bickering and sniping is really a whole lotta foreplay.

Emily is kind of at a loss with where to go in her life. Simon is trying to live a life that isn't his, isn't what he really wanted.

And I liked that a Renaissaince Faire into the story - Simon as a pirate had me imagining him as Hook from the TV show Once Upon A Time (and what a lovely vision that is!)

I liked the small town vibe, where as annoying as it is when everyone knows your business (I live in a small town, I get it) I love the sense of community.

Simon and Emily felt real. Their relationship felt real, their issues felt real and it all together felt relatable.

I look forward to reading more by Jen DeLuca in the future.

There is nothing better than an enemies-to-lovers trope in a rom-com! Especially when there are nerdy elements (Ren Faire!!) thrown in the mix. I would recommend this to any patrons interested in light and fresh romances, and to patrons looking to dip into romance for the first time.

Thank you to Jen DeLuca, NetGalley, and Berkley for sending me the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book felt like Renaissance Faire fan fiction. To be clear, that’s not necessarily a bad thing...but I imagine your enjoyment of Well Met might be proportionate to your fascination with faires.

Emily, the heroine, starts the book at a low point in her life. She’s a college dropout nursing a post-dumping broken heart and looking for purpose and meaning in her life. The first third of the book was my favorite part. Emily reluctantly volunteers for the Ren Faire with her niece, and immediately spars with Simon, the faire’s intense and possessive manager. She initially annoys him by failing to take choosing a period name seriously. I appreciated Emily’s directness, snark, and competence as a family caregiver.

Emily and Simon were well-drawn enemies and the initial misunderstandings and animosity made sense in context. However, they spend no time in character in rehearsal, which is why it felt jarring when the faire starts and Emily abruptly shifts from a Renaissance Faire skeptic to total immersion in the culture. She doesn’t blink an eye when Simon suddenly inhabits a completely different personality, despite the acting component of the faire never being explained during rehearsal. Emily also suddenly has a passable English accent after little practice beyond watching Harry Potter movies. There was a weak explanation afterward for how instantaneously she masters improvisational acting—theater classes in college—but tone shift made the middle part of the book disappointing.

In contrast, I thought the progression of the friendships was excellent and set up Emily’s slow realization that she could feel at home in her new town. I also adored their friends’ intervention to finally push Emily and Simon together. Once they stop arguing, they’re super sweet (if sometimes clueless) as a couple.

Overall, I thought this was a solid debut and the flaws didn’t keep me from finishing it. Spoilers in my GR review.

Meet my new favorite romance!!! And if you too are into nerdy pirates, slow burn hate to love romance, Shakespeare references, cozy small towns and corsets then you should definitely read Well Met by Jen DeLuca. This Renaissance Faire romance had me swooning and smiling so hard with the cuteness and nerdiness of it all and I'm so impressed this is a debut! I will definitely be looking for more from this author.

Emily is new to a small town where she is helping her sister (single mom to a teen girl) while she recovers from a serious car accident. Her niece wants to volunteer with friends at the local Renaissance Faire, but she must have an adult volunteer with her so Emily agrees to become a tavern wench for the summer. She immediately dislikes the Faire coordinator Simon with his lack of humor and judgmental attitude, but when her Faire character is handfasted to Simon's pirate alter-ego, playful banter eventually leads to sparks in real life.

I loved everything about this! Simon is a nerdy English teacher who turns into a charming, sexy pirate every summer for the Faire and the combination is super swoon-worthy. The development of the romance is funny and sweet, and (eventually) very romantic as well! This was exactly my sort of romance and I think a lot of people will enjoy it. There are also strong themes involving the importance of family, grieving the loss of a loved one, and the value of finding a community and letting people care about you. The small town setting is so charming and the side characters are well-developed and add a lot of flavor and substance to the story. I could easily see this turning into a great series of books following side characters. (Like Mitch- the muscled kilt-wearing jock who has more substance than you might think.) This is a wonderfully charming, cozy, romantic read and was exactly what I needed! It also gets a bit steamy at times including one explicit scene later in the book.

I received an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

One of the themes I’ve noticed in NA books is that the MC has often gone through a big event (break up, losing a job, death of a parent, etc.) and doesn’t know quite how to pick themselves back up again. The MC, Emily, has gone through a break-up and is not retreating to a small town in order to take care of her teen-aged niece and older sister who broke her leg in a car accident. Emily thinks she’s only there temporarily and while she struggled to find a niche with her now ex-boyfriend, we see her slowly make a path for herself. I enjoyed this sort of enemies-to-lovers trope between Simon and Emily. The things Emily learns about Simon, all the pressure he puts on himself, really tugs on your heartstrings, and I like how he and Emily come together, pushing past their dislike of each other because it all came out to be a misunderstanding. We see them hit it off early, and then Emily’s confusion and who Simon really is. I’m glad we learn who he truly is through Emily’s eyes.

I love that this revolved around a Renaissance Fair, too. It seemed like Simon and Emily found a connection early on, but it also brought on some confusion on Emily’s part because she had to break down Simon as a person to find out who he truly was. The same goes from Emily and her relationship with her sister, April. They have a wide age gap. Emily admits she never felt particular close to her sister when she was younger, and I like how this has given the two sisters a chance to get to know one another. Good siblings relationships is always something I root for.

I enjoyed all of the characters in this book! I liked how each of them took Emily in and made her feel welcome and a part of the small town because that was something Emily hadn’t experienced before with her ex-boyfriend. Again, the budding sibling relationship with April and the gradual romance with Simon was really fun to read. It was heart-breaking to read the need Simon felt to continue on the Faire, and I’m glad he was able to talk through some of it with Emily.

Emily was a good main character. The internal struggle she has due to how her ex-boyfriend left her and trying to reconcile this with her feelings for Simon was done really well. It makes you feel sad for Emily, but glad that she can overcome them.

Completely enjoyable! I flew through this book pretty quickly, and I find I do that easier when the writing isn’t bogged down. I’ll definitely read more of DeLuca’s works, and I can’t wait to see what she has in store.

3.5 - 4 stars

This was a really cute and sweet read. It had a nice enemies to lovers vibe, but also stressed the importance of putting yourself first and knowing your worth. It started a bit slowly for me, but I loved the Renaissance Faire backdrop and small town location. I had no idea how much work and preparation went into putting on this kind of event. Though very interesting, sometimes I found myself overwhelmed by all the details and descriptions of the Faire itself. I would have loved to have more time spent with the colorful cast of characters interacting in the space with each other.

I liked Emily and Simon, but I'm not sure I really felt the connection that got them from point A to B. Things were very sweet between them once it all came together (the wooing!), but I think a little more time in the enemies zone would have built up more tension and anticipation for me. I really enjoyed them as Emma and Captain Blackthorne though, and those interactions really made me smile and swoon.

I appreciated how family dynamics, sibling relationships, and familial/societal obligations were explored in this book. The difference between doing something you think you should do versus something you choose to do. The ending and epilogue were adorable and left me with a goofy grin on my face. Well Met had some emotional surprises I wasn't expecting, but I really enjoyed this debut novel by Jen DeLuca. I'm hoping we see stories for Stacey and April (maybe with Kilty ;)) in the future.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, in part because I knew the hero was inspired by Captain Hook from Once Upon A Time. It’s a gem of a debut from Jen DeLuca and I haven’t stopped swooning with love for it.

Emily is in a major transition period of her life. She was summarily dumped by the man she thought she was going to marry after years of putting her own life on hold to support his schooling and future career. She heads to her sister’s small town to take over as caregiver while her sister recovers from a car accident. Part of her responsibilities include volunteering for the summer Run Faire so her teen niece can participate. Emily is grateful for the chance to reconnect with her family while she figures out her next steps, even if she didn’t anticipate becoming a tavern wench in the process.

There’s a lot to love about Emily. It was refreshing to read about a character who dropped out of college and hear how she feels about the decision now and whether she really wants to go back to school. I also loved how she felt about the town and its people, the way she’d been looking for a place to call her own and stumbled right into it. This really resonated with me. Her character arc was so strong as she took ownership of her life and figured out how to move forward after having put her own needs on hold for so long.

Then there’s her antagonistic relationship with Simon, who’s in charge of the faire.

Simon is basically my dream man. He’s a high school English teacher by schoolyear, Ren Faire pirate by summer. More than that, he’s a cinnamon roll disguised as an uptight grump. (If you don't picture Simon as Captain Hook/Colin O’Donoghue while you're reading, you're doing it wrong.) Of course, Simon has Reasons for being such a grump. Simon’s arc is a moving exploration of grief and how grief can evolve as the years progress. He has to figure out who he is apart from his loss and how to integrate it into his future.

And then there’s Emily and Simon together. I get weak in the knees for their banter. It’s such a simmering slow burn between them and when they finally give into their attraction: fireworks! I loved every part of their relationship. There were so many swoon-worthy moments: piles of roses delivered at the faire! He makes her breakfast! He sets out to woo her! Gah, be still my heart.

But they also have to figure out how they are together in real life, versus how they are as their Ren Faire characters. There’s some great exploration about identity, expectations, and the masks we wear. Simon, particularly, feels free to let loose at the Faire in ways he never does in his normal day to day. Who is he really: the pirate Captain Blackthorne or Simon the English teacher? He needs to figure out how to accept both sides of himself and figure out what he really wants.

The side characters are just as amazing as the main couple: sister April, niece Caitlin, Chris, Stacey, the bookstore-owning Queen. I loved all the people who featured into this story. And I especially loved Read It And Weep, where Emily starts working. I would like to go there immediately.

This book made me so happy! There’s so much humor and heart. It also made me want to go to a ren faire asap. Whenever it happens, I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for a Simon of my own.

I do want to note this is a very white book. Not only is there nary a person of color in town (at least, depicted on the page), April decided to move there so her daughter wouldn’t have to attend Baltimore schools. There can be all kinds of valid reasons people don't want to live in cities but she didn't say why, which made me think of the implications of Baltimore's reputation and how white people might react to that. It stood out to me as a white reader and I can't help but wonder how POC readers might feel.

CW: past death of a sibling due to non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, grief, car accident

I don't know anything about Renaissance Faires, so this was a really fun setting to read. I didn't think that the romance had a good spark though.

Alright, I really did like this book overall, but the overwhelmingly love-filled reviews are making me feel like a bit of a black sheep. I don't mind being one TBH and most of the reviews so far are very short because it's still a little early.

The renaissance faire setting was amazing and inspired me to look up when one will be in my state next. It was such a well-developed setting; I could completely picture every part of it. I think the romance itself was good too. Simon and Emily had some kind of hate-to-love going on, where they both couldn't handle each other at first, and there were some classic moments of "is this really him or is this his ren faire character?" too.

BUT GOD I couldn’t handle Emily a lot of the time. She second guessed everything and jumped to conclusions without any good reason. It was so frustrating to read. I get that she’d been screwed over in the past but that was so repetitive and didn’t feel quite as correlated to what was happening as it could have been? I think we were supposed to feel for her because of her past relationship issues and they were somewhat developed, but it just didn't connect with me. I don’t know how to explain it properly. She also jumped to conclusions in all other areas of life, even when people didn't give her reasons to do so. Her sister told her to stay as long as possible or as long as she needed, and she still felt like she needed to move out ASAP. I don't want to dive into spoiler territory but there was another moment with the bookstore owner/queen of the faire, Chris, where she automatically assumed something without looking at literally all the clues around her to show she was wrong. So CLEARLY Emily did this with everyone, not just with Simon / within the romance.

Overall, most people have liked this one a lot more than I did and I would still recommend it overall. The more time passes, the more I don't remember how much Emily annoyed me, and the book looks even better in hindsight. The setting was amazing and, beyond the ren faire, I loved the small town the book took place in too.

Good ‘Morrow and Well Met, My Lords and Ladies! Allow me the distinct honor and privilege of introducing to your acquaintance this charming debut novel featuring wit, humor, romance, swashbuckling pirates, and daring Highlanders.

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Can you tell that I enjoy a bit of theater with my reading? Add in the fact that I’m a history buff and that my first job EVER was working at the Arizona Renaissance Faire, and you might be able to grasp just how excited I have been about this new release! Why, I nearly swooned from excitement when I saw the ARC awaiting me like a chivalrous suitor.

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Alas, my thoughts have run away with me! Let us begin, shall we?

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This book was by far one of the most charming novels I’ve read this year. I’ve definitely been in a Summer-Rom-Com kind of way for the last few weeks, and this was just light and fluffy enough to keep a smile perpetually on my face. While definitely a standalone, I fully appreciated the delightfully colorful cast of characters in a small town – it definitely gave me some Gilmore Girls/Stars Hollow vibes (though not nearly as quirky).

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Our main character, Emily, was a protagonist that I found myself relating to more than I originally thought I would. A young woman fresh out of a series of bad luck, she feels a bit lost in the sauce of life, and decides that helping out her older sister and niece while said older sister recovers from a broken leg is best use of her quarter-life crisis.

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I loved the family themes in this book, not only amongst Emily, her older sister, April, and April’s teenage daughter, Caitlin, but also between Simon, our resident High School English teacher and part-time Pirate, and his brother, Sean. Family relationships are usually complicated, messy, and confusing, but I enjoyed watching Emily and Simon navigate the precarious balance of who they were individually, as well as who they are within their respective family units.

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Speaking of Simon…

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I am a straight-up sucker for an enemies-to-lovers romance, and this was spot on! Simon was such a straight-laced, serious person that it was inevitable that he clash with Emily, who can appreciate the times for humor and levity on a regular basis. The verbal sparring between the two had me anxiously waiting for them to just KISS ALREADY and I loved the torture and build-up. Especially once the Faire was underway, and Simon’s Pirate Captain pulled out all the flirtatious stops for the Serving Wench Emma.

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The actual setting of the Faire was, I felt, well-done and familiar to any and all those who have ever attended a Renaissance Faire or Festival before. The shows, performers, costumes, and food evoked a very clear picture in my mind, and even brought on a round of solid nostalgia from a former employee of a Faire (shout out to my Serving Wenches!).

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With all that being said, there were a few issues that I had in terms of character and plot that kept this from being a higher rating. The first issue I had was regarding a small bit of Emily’s character that I felt was a little unbelievable and that detracted from her overall. It was a bit mystifying that a woman with a background in English Literature, in addition to a slight Shakespeare obsession, wouldn’t have known about period dress and clothing at all. This is a woman who knows exactly when Twelfth Night was written, but didn’t know what a chemise was? I feel like it was the author’s way of describing the intricate layers of Renaissance dress to an audience that might not be as familiar with terminology, but I feel like there were other ways and opportunities to do this without it affecting the knowledge of Emily.

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The second issue I had was in terms of conflict – I found it a little difficult to believe that two people who love talking (it’s even mentioned in the novel itself how this is the case) could allow miscommunication to come between them. They both had valid points in their argument, but I feel like if they’d taken a few minutes to calm down and actually communicate, the conflict itself would’ve never been a conflict – it just felt a little too convenient.

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Overall, this novel was fun, flirty, and charming, with a dash of romance that was sweet rather than spicy. It was a fantastic read for those summer days and made me anxious for my next trip to the Renaissance Faire.

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I cannot wait to see what this author comes out with next, as I’m sure it will just be as delightful as Well Met. I consider myself to have been properly wooed.

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Well Met was an absolute delight and I can't wait to read what DeLuca has in store for us. Well Met was more than just a fun romantic comedy; I liked that it delved into Emily's relationship with her family and her fears of never being enough. Her relationship with grumpy Simon started off rocky and the two never saw eye-to-eye, yet they had a spark and their chemistry was sizzling and the RenFaire setting just made their progression from enemies to lovers even more fun. Equal parts romance and finding yourself, Well Met is not a book you'll forget.

This book was cute but it took sooo long for the romance to start. I almost gave up after about 80 pages but kept reading and was glad that I finished. It had steam but not too much steam which I think does well in a book that the romance doesn’t start right off the back. I gave this book three stars because it was slow moving and they never fully explained why he hated her so much at the beginning of the book.

I liked this a lot. Sort of enemies to lovers set against a summer renaissance fair. Tavern Wench Emma(Emily in real life) and Pirate Ian Blackthorn (Simon in real life) sizzle enough that their in character kisses have Emily wanting real kisses from Simon.

I really liked the Renaissance Fair setting and I liked how Emily sees behind the Simon's pain and offers him real support. They both have things to work through but I like how she get past his grumpy exterior, to win them a HEA and to give him back his life.


ARC via NetGalley publish date September 3, 2019

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the early review copy!

Honestly, this book is the best romance I've ever read!

This book is basically an enemies to lovers featuring a girl who recently lost her boyfriend and her house after giving up her college education to support her boyfriend through college and a guy that's kind of a major uptight jerk but becomes incredibly attractive and much more enjoyable when he plays a character at renaissance festival.

Emily is a smart and strong willed woman that has no idea what she's doing next in life but falls in love with the small town her sister lives in. And Simon is yes a bit uptight and kind of a jerk towards people he doesn't know until he gets out of his shell, then he's a great guy. I feel like I'm basically Simon. (Oops).

The Renaissance theme drew me in because I love renaissance and would LOVE to work the local one if I had the time. But the writing was really good, the story was super fun, and the romance was great! I love me some enemies to lovers!

Highly recommend this book

“I didn’t choose the wench life, the wench life chose me.” This book was so much fun! I want to start this off by saying I grew up going to the renaissance fair with my parents as a kid. I still go and bring my kids. I’m proud of it. I don’t normally read romance novels because I often find them too fluffy or unrealistic for my taste (ya, I read fantasy and love books with dragons but if someone falls in love at first sight my BS meter goes off and I can’t handle it 😆). Anyway, I wanted to give this one a shot because it sounded quirky and light and it didn’t let me down! Well Met is the perfect book for those of you who also don’t read a ton of modern day romance novels but want to dip your toes, but it’s believable and cute. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for an engaging easy read that will make you smile. Thank you @netgalley for this ARC to review! You can choose Well Met as a current book of the month for August or wait until it is published and officially released next month on September 3rd. I give it a big smiley 5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for being a new age romance novel that captured me and didn’t make me gag. I must find more books by this author!