I’ve attended a Renaissance Faire a few times and it was always a lot of fun. I was fascinated by the shops, the performances, and the people walking around dressed in elaborate costumes, but it never occurred to me how much hard work and attention to detail goes into planning such an event. That's why I was so intrigued by Well Met. It's like a reality show, which painstakingly delves into the inner-workings of a Renaissance faire, complete with everyday drama and a potential romance. Jen Deluca’s writing is so earnest and thoughtful, and the characters are so engaging, that it’s impossible not to swept up in the fantasy of it all.

From the slow-burning flirtation between Emily and Simon to the day-to-day happenings of the faire to Emily's journey of self-discovery, I loved everything about Well Met. The narrative is fun and lighthearted, but there are moments that hit me right in the feels. And the romance. Oh my gah! I can't say I've ever been attracted to pirates (except for Orlando Bloom as Will Turner, of course), but Simon had me swooning so hard, I forgave him for the times I wanted to slap him upside the head. If you're looking for an amusing, entertaining love story with a good amount of steam, Well Met is a must-read!

Absolutely LOVED this book!!! I had no idea what to think going in, but the chemistry between the characters was off the charts!

I really enjoyed Well met, it was a great mix of family, romance, comedy, and medieval hijinks. I also loved that it delved a lot deeper into grief and loss and the impact those can have on your life. And how it’s never too late to decide on a new dream. Emily and Simon were both wonderful characters and I was totally cheering for their romance.

If you’re looking for a fun book that will put a smile on your face and leave you with a desire to attend the closest Renaissance faire, definitely pick this one up!

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

To be faire this book delivered exactly what the synopsis promised but at the end of the day, I don’t think that was its best strength.

“He looked like a strange amalgamation of his identities: the crisply ironed shirt and immaculate jeans of Simon Graham, but with the longer hair and face-framing beard of Captain Blackthorne. The juxtaposition was . . . well, I squirmed a little and fought the urge to hop the counter and wrinkle that shirt in the best possible way.”

Was Well Met terribly cute? Yes.
Was this book light and fun and a heart and soul rom-com? Certainly.
Was this about two sworn enemies that indulged in a harmless filtration? Well… I’m going to go with yes, but…

But. Here’s my teeny tiny problem with Well Met, when it comes to the story telling, I was told more than I was shown.

While the premise had me hooked since moment one, and trust me all the cute was there since then, what was also clear since the beginning is that I was told by Emily what to think of Simon (and a number of characters) more often than just being able to make my own assumptions as I read. It wasn’t anything major, but at some parts it did contribute to the feeling that the characters were leaning more towards being flat and story rather simple.

And that is my only complaint about this book, really. The way Emily’s character would point out facts and tangle or create problems that were coming from anywhere besides herself. On top of that, the conflict - you know, that one thing you know is coming and will separate the main characters during a small amount of time before they are reunited as it also is the perfect catalyst for them to confess their feelings - didn’t really convince me. Minor spoiler: come on, she thinks him focusing on next year’s faire is putting the faire before her while honestly, to me the truly hurtful thing was him calling her by her faire name(!!!!!)

Besides that, (and by that I mean me being picky) it was absolutely lovely seeing Simon come out of his shell and finally going after what he wanted. You guys know I have a sweet spot for heroes in general, specially those guarded. And Simon was very much like that.

Anyway, all things were there to be a perfectly cute read. And even if it felt flat at certain parts, as the romance that takes place in a faire, witnessing how these two danced around each other armed in bodices and leather pirate pants was 100% entertaining.

I can recommend this book to those looking for a light hearted, simple and fun romcom with this something special that the renaissance faire gave the story.

This was all kinds of adorable. I wish there was an old-timey way to express my joy after reading this beyond going "Awwww" but I have not found one.

Simon would be so disappointed.

My favorite romance trope is enemies to lovers. Having that play out in the background of a small town renaissance faire brought it to a while new level. You won't find any twists and turns in this story, but that doesn't mean there isn't enough of a plot and character development to make it worth your while. Both Emily and Simon have things they need to deal with besides whatever is happening between them while in costume.

This was one of the books on my top 10 reads for fall and I'm happy to say it did not disappoint. Well Met is the right combination of sweet and fluffy, and makes for a fun fall read.

NOTE: I received an advanced reader copy of Well Met by Netgalley and its publishers in exchange for an honest review.

I was in the mood for a light-hearted and entertaining romance, and that is exactly what I got with WELL MET. I loved the storyline and the characters were cute and relatable. I found myself flipping faster and faster through the pages and just couldn't get enough. I loved the setting and the renaissance fair vibes and really enjoyed the novel from start to finish. If you're looking for a quick and fun romance, then you should definitely check this one out. Thank you to NetGalley for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book so much! I couldn't put it down. It is a fantastic contemporary romance that is adorable and in a fresh, fun setting. Huzzah!

Well Met by Jen DeLuca is a delightful romp through the summer at a Ren Faire in small town Maryland. It has a delightful cast of well developed characters that all feel real and fully fleshed out. The main character is Emily, who moves to Maryland for the summer to take care of her sister and niece as they recover from a car crash. Emily gets roped into helping at the Faire, where she meets the Mitch, the gorgeous kilt wearing gym teacher, and Simon, the less then welcoming head of the Faire.

3.5 stars

A cute, sweet, fun rom-com style book. I thought the Renaissance fair setting added an interesting element to your classic hate-to-love romance.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the eARC. This review will be posted on Goodreads and to Amazon's and Barnes & Noble's websites.

⁣⁣3,5 Stars.

Well Met was a cute rom-com! I didn’t think I’d be into the whole Renaissance Faire thing, but I was. They sound like such a fun experience. Looks like I’ll need to hunt one down next summer. The characters were likable, the setting was unique and delightful, and the romance was a bit steamy. The only thing holding Well Met back from 4 stars was that self-sabotaging behavior isn’t my favorite. I don’t like everything being on track and then our main character creating needless drama. All-in-all, it was fun and cute and worth the read!⁣⁣

After a bad break-up with her long-term boyfriend, Emily moves to Maryland to help her older sister rehab after a car accident. She looks after her sister's daughter, Caitlin, a high schooler who is determined to audition for a spot in the annual renaissance faire. But there's a catch - Caitlin must have an adult volunteer time for the faire as well. With plenty of time on her hands and wanting to be a supportive aunt, Emily agrees to be cast as a tavern wench. But she doesn't expect to be criticized for her lack of dedication by the festival's surly organizer, high school English teacher Simon. As Emily fulfills her role, she avoids Simon's critical gaze and tries to make friends with other local residents embedded in the faire. Her life adrift, Emily begins to see the charm of the town, and finds out more about why Simon is so protective of the event. Romantic comedy readers will love this unique setting and the enemies-to-lovers plot line. But there is also a depth to the main characters, struggling to overcome emotional boundaries and learning to trust each other with their hearts. An utterly charming nerdy romance for fans of The Bride Test.

This was funny and super cute! I loved the characters and the atmosphere and there were several laugh-out-loud moments. Although it was predictable, I didn't mind knowing what was going to happen and in some spots, I anticipated seeing how it would play out. I would have read it in one sitting, but had to work and sleep and stuff... A wonderful first book.

The premise is really interesting but the paced is too slow for me. I feel like I wait too long for something to happened.
Emily is relatable and likeable character. It is easy to root for her. Sadly, I did not like Simon, the male interest. I did not like how he solve the conflict and his grand gesture.
I like the middle part of the book the most, it made me excited and also made me cried.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for @Prhinternational for the e-arc 😊

LET'S GET IT ON with Well Met by Jen DeLuca

First Impressions

The cheery green color and the cartoon people are adorable. But I am completely unimpressed that Simon is on the cover with a lame vest instead of his sexy PIRATE COSTUME. Emily’s ren faire look is totally not period appropriate.

What’s Your Type?

Enemies to lovers, forced interactions while doing silly things, small towns

Dating Profile

Meet Emily, a mid-twenties, college-drop-out bartender who was dumped by her recently partnered lawyer boyfriend who she gave up too much to support. Her older sister and niece were involved in a bad car accident, so she drops everything (to be fair(e), she didn’t have a lot going on) to go help out in her sister’s tiny town of Willow Creek. She’s feeling a bit fragile—adrift if you will—and is overly generous with her time to the detriment of her own wishes.

And then there’s Simon, born and raised in Willow Creek and living in the home his parents gifted to him. During the school year he’s an English teacher for the local high school, but over the summers he runs the town’s popular renaissance faire, which raises money for local charity. He’s stern, uptight, and may have a permanent stick up his butt.

Meet Cute

Funnily enough, no one mentioned to Emily that she’d be forced to play a tavern wench when she went to drop off her niece, Caitlin, for the ren faire sign-ups. Simon is none too amused by Emily’s laissez-faire attitude (see what I did there?) about his precious event, but, well, they’re down to only two wenches this year, and Caitlin needs a chaperone. Emily steers clear of Simon until the faire begins, but then she gets a load of his charismatic alter-ego: a pirate captain in leather pants and plenty of visible chest. What’s weird is Simon’s alter ego really, really likes flirting with Emily’s alter ego tavern wench. And what’s weirder? Emily kinda likes it.

The Lean

I’ve determined that writing the enemies-to-lovers trope is really hard. Kudos to those who do it amazingly well, because for every fantastically sexual-tension-charged book we get, there are many others who can’t quite stick the landing. Simon and Emily before the faire are pretty vanilla, and then once they’re all dressed up, everything moves a bit too fast for me to really bask in the exquisite torture this trope demands. Emily had a great moment where she took advice from a fortune cookie and simply asked for what she wanted. Loved it!

Buuuut then the writing took a sharp U-turn as Emily had to perform some impressive mental gymnastics to make some clunky misunderstandings fit the plot. I was left feeling lukewarm about Emily and Simon and much more interested in everything else to do with Willow Creek.

Ms. Perky's Prize for Purplest Prose

This was faire-ly tame (can’t stop, won’t stop) as far as dirty moments go, but there was some pirate-y themed make out talk. You know the kind.

Simon kissed like a pirate. His lips were soft yet demanding, but his tongue…plundered. There was no other word for it.

I can think of several hundred others.

We Need To Talk

This book had me at “renaissance faire,” because I have known one or two in my day. Sadly, I’ve haven’t worked a faire before, but never say never! I enjoyed the look behind the scenes at all the prep work that went into putting on things like a human chess match and figuring out the period authentic clothing. That may be the extreme organizer/event planner in me.

But ultimately, I was left wanting more of the faire when it was happening, as we readers were as stuck in the tavern tent as Emily was, unable to go experience things like pub sing. I also wanted more of Willow Creek as Emily found herself falling in love with its small-town charm. There seemed to be so much to mine between Emily and April, especially as they were just learning to be sisters now that they were adults (April is like 12 years older).

In short, the romance part was fine, but what made the book halfway decent was all the stuff surrounding the couple—so that’s like, +1 for atmosphere but -1 since this is a romance book.

Was It Good For You?

Like a casual but uninspiring summer fling with the resident ren faire hot dude in the kilt and faux Scottish accent (AKA Mitch the gym teacher), I don’t think I’ll be thinking back much on this book after the first leaves of autumn start to fall and PSL rears its delicious head.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Berkley. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. Well Met is available now.

This book absolutely charmed my SOCKS OFF. This is what romcom dreams are made of right here.

WELL MET by Jen DeLuca is about a woman named Emily moving to a town called Willow Creek, Maryland, to help take care of her older sister and niece while she is recovering from a bad car accident. Emily gets roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire with her niece, Caitlin. At first, Emily doesn't take the Ren Faire too seriously and is incredibly bothered and constantly challenged by the brooding, serious Simon, an English teacher that runs the Faire year after year as it's his family's legacy.

This is where it gets fun. Emily is cast as Emma, a tavern witch, while Simon remains cast as Ian Blackthorn, a devilishly handsome pirate with some serious charm. Ian Blackthorn and Emma obviously have a thing for each other and spend days flirting in front of the guests. But is it all just for show or is there something more there? Are they enjoying playacting or really starting to feel something for one another, despite their bickering outside of the Ren Faire? You'll just have to read to find out.

Honestly, even with the predictability of this book, it's just so wholesome and GOOD. I could not stop reading for the life of me. I don't spend many nights reading past 12pm these days, but this one had me up until 2:30am. Which really says something about the enjoyability of this book!

The setting is wholly original and bursting with life. The romance is swoon-worthy. Emily is a wonderful MC that you will continue to root for. The side characters are interesting. There are tons of Shakespeare references and even a Station Eleven reference (and I love that book so that earned extra brownie points from me!). I adored it so much and recommend to anyone looking for a sweet summery book filled with a lot of love. 4,5 stars to be exact!

I had high expectations for this book, especially with all the hype and the amazing premise.

Although the beginning was pretty slow, I really really enjoyed this book up until about 70%. I just felt like there was a switch in the book. Things started rushing, the dialogue was cringey, and I wasn't getting the Faire content I wanted. Emily felt like a different character to me and I just don't think there was enough development of the relationship. I love love love enemies to lovers, but when it's built up right and I just don't think this one was.

I do think the writing was really good for the majority of the book and the side characters and setting were just amazing. I just think some of the characterization and pacing needs some work, so I am open to reading the second book in this series when it comes out.

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

Well Met is ridiculously charming! This is a fantastic and fun debut from Jen DeLuca that left me wanting — nay, needing — to go to a Ren Faire! There is just so much to love about this book.

I was completely blown away by Jen’s writing. It has a great flow that kept me really invested. This is the closest I’ve been to reading a book in one sitting since becoming a mom in the Spring.

I just can’t get over the plot! This story is so original, and the setting of a Renaissance Faire is perfection. This is the story that I didn’t know I needed! Well Met had me laughing out loud and smiling from ear to ear, even while side-eyeing grumpy Simon.

I love, love, love the characters in this book! They are flawed! …which makes them more relatable, and I enjoy that. Emily is unlikeable at times, and Simon does indeed have the stick up his butt that Emily says. I’m here for the imperfections, though! And, the secondary characters add just as much to the story as the leads. The most fun thing about this book, for me, is that you almost get double the cast because they all play roles at the Ren Faire. Let me just tell you how much I adored Emma the Tavern Wench (Emily) and Captain Blackthorne (Simon) *insert heart eye emoji*

The one thing that kept this from being a 5-star read for me is the romance. I didn’t mind the slow burn of the romance. HOWEVER, I wish there was more! I didn’t quite get enough of Emily and Simon as “Emily and Simon,” which is always a bummer. But I do ship them entirely!

Overall, I definitely recommend Well Met! Run — don’t walk — to grab a copy, because it’s a complete delight, and you need to read it! I am very much looking forward to more from Jen!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. Please note that it, in no way, had an effect on my opinion or review.

I’m not eve gonna lie: I have been sitting on this ARC; putting it off since JUNE. And of course, now I’m asking myself why. Why did I wait so long to read it? Because I’m an idiot, that’s why.

Emily Parker is the least self-serving person on the planet. She just spent the last too-many-years putting her life on hold for a boyfriend who wasn’t worth her time. Now she’s moved in with her older sister, and her daughter after an accident to help out while her sister recovers from a pretty bad leg injury. Of course, she had no idea when she agreed to move in with them “for the summer” that it would require her to sign up to volunteer at the local Renaissance Faire…but Emily hasn’t quite figured out how to say no to anyone but herself at this point in her life.

Enter Simon, the grumpy English teacher and organizer of said Ren Faire. Also, apparently, Emily’s new arch-nemesis in all things renaissance related. In Emily's mind, Simon hates her. He picks on everything she does...but what is he hiding behind the judgy stares and short reprimands? A whole lot.

I am a sucker for a good enemies to lovers romance, and Jen DeLuca certainly delivered just the right amount of sexual tension to make this book a total winner in the swoons department. I absolutely adored Emily and Simon’s story, and I’m anxious to see what’s next for Jen! She’s earned a fan in me for sure if she keeps writing books as excellent as this one.

I get the appeal of this book, but it just wasn’t for me. The protagonist was insufferable, meaning I didn’t care if her relationship was successful

When I first read the premise for this book I knew I was going to enjoy it, but I didn't know I was going to love it as much as I do. On the surface this looks like it'll be a fluffy fun contemporary (which it is), but it's also so much more. There were some unexpected emotional aspects of the story that made me love the story even more.

Well Met follows Emily, a woman in her mid-twenties who moves to a small town to help her sister and niece after both were in a car accident. While she's there, her niece decides to volunteer at their town's Renaissance Festival, which means Emily has to volunteer and be her chaperone. While signing up to volunteer she meets the organizer of the event Simon, and they do not start off on good terms.

Emily and Simon were such great characters. They were so annoyed with each other at the beginning and I loved it! Simon doesn't think Emily takes anything seriously and is annoyed because the Renaissance Festival means a lot to him and everyone in town. Emily is annoyed that he's so uptight and judgmental of her. They start getting along more during the faire when both are in character and can flirt with each other.

I loved watching their relationship progress, and seeing them work to be together. Emily has trouble communicating and actively works on it even when it makes her uncomfortable. I loved seeing the growth, it was so realistic. I also enjoyed seeing Simon mess up and admit that he was wrong, and then actively work on making up for it and learning how to be better. Emily and Simon's relationship felt so realistic and I loved reading about these characters.

I went in expecting this book to be a fun upbeat contemporary romance, and it was. There were so many times I had to put the book down and laugh out loud because the humor was great. What I was not expecting was how emotional this book would be. Both Emily and Simon are experiencing some pretty tough things in life, and throughout the book are trying to work through them. Simon is still experiencing grief from losing his brother a few years before, and trying to keep up his legacy and not get too stressed out. Emily is struggling to find out where she belongs, and trying to work through the hurt from her recent breakup. 

My eyes watered quite a few times while reading Well Met. I related to Emily so much, and just wanted to be there for her when she was feeling down and doubting herself. I think so many readers who've doubted themselves at some point, or are trying to figure out who they are will relate to Emily.

Well Met is definitely going on my list of books to read when I'm feeling down or just want a comfort read. I 10000% recommend this to everyone!

Well Met is one of my new comfort reads, what books do you read when you're feeling down?

Not gonna lie, the cute cover was what made me pick this one up. That's always a bit of a risk, especially since these illustrated covers have become so popular and are used for stories outside of the RomCom subgenre. Anyhoo...for this book the cover is totally on par with my expectations.

Emily isn't a small town girl and only moved from Boston into her sister's home in Willow Creek because April was in a car accident and now needs a caregiver and someone who takes care of her daughter Caitlin. And then there is the not unimportant fact that Em's ungrateful jerk of a fiance dumped her, she had to move out of their apartment and all her plans for the future came to a screeching halt. I totally loved the Renaissance Faire setting which Emily is kinda, sorta forced to volunteer at because for her niece to attend she needs an attending adult. And the guy who runs the show? Total jerk.

Admittedly, the romance doesn't take off until after more than half of the book. Simon comes across as a judgmental douche and he isn't all that likable. Sometimes he makes Emily feel small and I was wondering how the author would make me fall in love with him. But damn did I ever. When I learned why Simon had such a stick up his butt and was such a stickler for (his self-made) rules I felt nothing but compassion.
I wanted to crawl into him, become part of him so he would never feel alone again.

He had always been in his brother's shadow and for the first time someone forced him move out of that shadow and on from the past and be his own person. His loneliness made me ache and so, so sad. Simon really grew on me and showed a sweetness I totally didn't expect. He became a real dreamboat!

Emily was an endearing heroine who only wanted to belong, putting her roots down and be enough for someone, something she missed in her former relationship. It's what she found in Willow Creek and I was really happy for her. I also loved that she stood up for herself and didn't repeat mistakes she made in the past and for the first time put herself first.
“I can’t compete with a memory. I already spent five years being someone’s lower priority."

WELL MET was a lovely surprise - I laughed, my throat got tight a little now and again, and I totally enjoyed Simon and Emily's slow-burn love story. Jen DeLuca is debut author and totally knocked it out of the park. There are some side characters in this world I would love to read about. For now Ms. DeLuca has a new fan. I'm looking forward to seeing her grow.
"We have in our midst a woman named Emma. She is a tavern wench of great beauty, whose smile lights up the day like the sun, and the night like the moon. She has absolutely stolen my heart, but I do not mind in the least. In fact, if she would agree to keep my heart and take good care of it, I would never want it back.”