Great romance. There are so many ups and downs when having a long distance relationship in emails and texts. At times moving, and others, laugh-out-loud funny, this book is a great way to spend your time.

2.5/5

This book wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. It was kind of a lukewarm read for me and I had to push myself to finish it because I got a little bored. I can't quite put my finger on exactly what didn't do it for me, but it lacked the charm of the first book, which focused heavily on the Ren Faire. In the second installment, we follow Stacey, a long time rennie who feels stuck in her small town life. Because she's not a newcomer, the Ren Faire setting, which was the major draw of the first book for me, became simply a backdrop, and the majority of the book just focused vaguely on the months between the Ren Faire.

As a main character, Stacey was relatable (hello quarter life crisis), but not all that complex or interesting. The love story aspect was sweet, but predictable (more predictable than usual, at least), and I found that hijinx and faked identities were forgiven way too quickly and not resolved through face to face discussion. I mean, maybe that's personal and I'm a bit of grudge person (we all have our faults, okay?), but I found it very unrealistic that Stacey would find out huge things, just think about them for a second, and be okay with it rather than discuss it with the other character. Maybe it was an attempt to make her independent, but these easy reactions just made Stacey feel a bit wishy-washy and basic to me.

That being said, it was still very cute, and I did enjoy the aspects of the Ren Faire life we got. Overall though, I found Emily and Simon to be a much more enjoyable couple than Stacey and Daniel.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for access to this arc.

I didn't read the first book in this series but heard wonderful things about it which is why I jumped all over the chance to read "Well Played." Witty banter? I'm all for it. Except this book has precious little. Instead it's about the heroine whining and moping about how much she loves Ren Faire and lives for Ren Faire and can't wait for Ren Faire. Enough already. Then a hero appears early on and we all knew he would be the hero. Or does he? Then there's a year of only social media contact for the "romance" until the "hero's" lies and basic catfishing are exposed? Nope. Not for me.

I read this book early thanks to #NetGalley

I loved loved loved this book. It was just as fun as DeLuca's first in the series "Well Met". I think setting a book in and around a Ren Faire is such a fun idea! THe characters were great, the love story was great, and the setting made you feel like you were walking on the dusty lanes at a faire! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a romcom!

Well Met was one of my favourite Romance novels from the past few years, and it was so fun to go back to the world of Renaissance fairs, pirates, kilts, bar maids, and long summer days.

This book is about Stacey, a woman who has spent the past few years volunteering at the local Renaissance Fair, working, having fun, and having a VERY casual fling with one of the musicians. When a drunken text one night leads to text and email relationship very different than their previous encounters. He is suddenly funny, sweet, and seems to care about her in ways he never did before.

Then the summer and the Renaissance Fair roles around again, and maybe it wasn't Dex after all, but who is the one she has been falling in love with all year, and do they have a relationship that can last?

This book was fun, entertaining, and it just made me feel so happy. I really liked the character of Stacey (as well as the love interest) and found it very easy to connect to them. The love story was sweet and the problems weren't too far fetched.

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.*

Well Played has a lot of things going for it. More Ren Faire goodness, a curvy heroine, a quite Beta Hero.

I liked that Stacey was body conscious but not cruel to herself. A lot of her insecurities were believable but not overwhelming to me. She is at a tough place in life. She doesn't like her job and she feels like she is losing all her friends to husbands and babies. I can really relate to that and being the same age as her and also plus size… That was cool to feel seen like that.

But….. Sadly it fell pretty short for me in three main areas.

First off, I don't like pen pal romances, or email, or by chat. They just do not do it for me. Also, that this is drawn out over a whole year! Starting just after one Faire season and lasting one whole YEAR! So Daniel was effectively misleading Stacey for all that time. Nope. Not cool.

Next, they are both too Beta for me. I get why Daniel was worried since most people prefer his cousin over him. But he runs way too many times and its left up to Stacey (the injured party in this equation) to continually run after him, or be willing to fix things. Its so frustrating. Make a damn move, man.

Thirdly, This is personal and won’t be why others dislike it. But it wasn't sexy enough for me. This was women's fiction in all the worst ways. I couldn't connect with their romance and then to have had Daniel lie not once, but twice about basically the same issues just flipped it over the edge for me.

I had high hopes this series back when I read Well Met, but in that one there was at least more Faire activity to placate me and the tension between those characters kept me interested when they were in character. In this book 50% of it takes place over the YEAR between Faires… Ugh, I was just so annoyed.

I can appreciate that this just isn't for me but my 2 main shortfalls still push this down to a 2.5 Star but I'll round up to a 3.

This second book in the series follows Stacey, who was a bartender at the Renaissance Faire in the first book. Stacey is looking to find The One, but of course it's not who she expected. This book was an easy read, if a little too predictable. I was a little disappointed in this story, as it didn't suck me in like I was hoping. This book was just ok for me and I much preferred the first book in the series.

In a moment of drunken weakness, Stacey texts Dex, the guy she had an arrangement with over the past 2 summers. When that text turns into so much more, Stacey finds a side of him she never knew existed. As the month’s pass, the two have something very touching and intimate in their daily texts and emails. The Ren Faire can’t come soon enough, where they can finally be face to face. But as the blurb shows, things aren’t always as they appear, and it might just be too much for her.

I loved Well Met, and so I jumped at the chance to request this one from Berkley when I saw it available. It has the same quirky charm as book 1, with many laugh out loud moments, and you still get to see all the characters you’ve grown to love. For me, sometimes Emily and Simon took too much of the center stage. And it makes sense considering their role in the Faire, but it put Stacey on the back burner. Overall, this is a fun and charming romance.

This is a romance set in the same town as Well Met surrounding a Ren Faire. The premise of this relationship unfortunately surrounds a catfishing incident, which is made pretty clear from the synopsis but lasts way longer than needed (about halfway into the book). What also is unfortunate is as the readers, it’s abundantly clear who our main character is obviously having an email relationship with but she remains oblivious. When they do get together, they are actually fairly cute but we don’t even get to see most of their cute couple dynamic! A lot of their time together is skimmed over, and we get more snippets of the last couple (Simon and Emily) than I even needed. I would have rated this a little lower, but I do love the writing and the setting and I did still root for the couple.

I’m very much looking forward to the last book in this series, which is April and Mitch’s book. It was hinted in book 1 and we had even more little hints here and I cannot wait!

Some mild spoilers ahead so be warned. This one is such a fun and sweet book! It’s my first to read a book in the Renaissance Faire setting and i devoured all the details and the events that happened. It was a book i didn’t know i was missing.

Swooning at the cute exchanges via email and text between Stacey and Daniel. This story is one for the modern way of wooing. But despite the social media and technology of communication, both characters still crave for physicality and tangible aspect of getting to know a person or being with someone you like. The writer both touched on these points.

There was more than the romance part, Stacey is also trying to find her purpose after having to get stuck in the small town following her mother’s bad health scare. I appreciate the familial aspect and how it’s a great bearing to Stacey’s reluctance in finding a better career in a big city.

There’s a vibe in this book which i really enjoyed. I adored both the characters. Stacey in her cheerful, always smiling persona but somehow, felt abit hollow and incomplete inside. Daniel who is mysterious, hiding behind his more popular cousin’s shadow but very sweet and responsible. I kind of guessed the revelation in the middle part. And i was so glad that it was that way. The only problem i had with Daniel was he seem to be the one who had always noticed Stacey but during the fallout, he couldn’t find it in him to fight for Stacey and run after her. It was Stacey who did the grand gesture that i was waiting for. Could have been more swoon worthy, but I guess we’re going for unconventional? I’m now off to read Well Met because i can’t get enough of Faire and i’d love to know Simon and Emily’s story too!

4.5 Stars!

Jen DeLuca's Well Met was one of my favorite debut novels I read in 2020. I remember finishing it and being excited about what could possibly come next from the author. I was hoping it would be a second book set in the same world, and I lucked out because it is! I was so excited to go back to the Faire world DeLuca created and get to know some of the characters better.

Well Played was even better than Well Met. DeLuca's already strong writing has only gotten better in her sophomore book.  The feelings she had me feeling... so much emotion!!! I felt like I was Stacey through so much of this book. It was a little overwhelming -- in the best way.

I loved Stacey and every minute I spent with her. I also really loved her love interest. The way they got to know each other over emails and texts was a big plus for me! To be honest, I figured out right away who "Dex" really was. The blurb and some stuff at the beginning of the book kind of give it away. I would have liked it to have been more of a surprise, but  it didn't diminish how much I enjoyed this book too much because I immediately liked the guy.

It was also fun to see some of the other characters I met in Well Played show up again in Well Met. I enjoyed finding out how Emily and Simon were doing. I loved knowing that Mitch was up to his old tricks. All these great characters had me wanting even more books in the Well Met series.

Well Played was such a cute romance novel. I feel like I am not adequately telling you how cute and fun it was. I think other readers are going to love this book.

I have to be honest, I'm a little disappointed about this one. It's not remotely a bad book but I expected more of the delight of book one's banter and chemistry to show up here and, due to circumstances of the meet/genesis of the relationship, we don't quite get it.

tacey was really relateable character in a lot of ways; stuck in a small town, post-college plans derailed, days spent looking at the lives of others through social media or her phone and feeling like she's missed opportunities for more. And equally, I felt a lot of things about love interest, who was quite soft and sweet; even though in critical moments he just completely left Stacey hanging out to dry. Neither were perfect, of course -- I found Stacey randomly being annoyed by people sometimes jarring because it seemed to come out of nowhere -- but I think this is going to be a situation where we all might be wishing for a bit more groveling on the side of the guy. I know I did.

"<i>What the hell is wrong with you two? You're both nerds, you know that? In this century we don't go straight for a <b>Cyrano</b> reference. We all it catfishing.</i>"

Overall though I think that's maybe what's missing and letting this one fall a little short. It's just missing that edge, that extra bit of something something. I also wonder if maybe Emily and Simon, book one's couple, were just a little too centre stage in some of the plot. I suppose to fits with the theme of Stacey feeling like she's just stuck in place, watching life happen around her, but.. maybe without them being so present it would've just been a sadder book?

Also, if you wanted higher heat levels in the wake of book one? Well, you'll get them.

It was nice being reunited with everyone, we get to see all the familiar faces, and I'm excited at some of the breadcrumbs laid in preparation for book three, but while there were some sweet moments.. it won't be anywhere near as memorable as WELL MET.

Back at the Willow Creek Ren Faire again for Stacey's story! Stacey was really fun character element in the first book, Well Met, so I was excited to see her as the main character in the second in the series. And, as a huge fan of epistolary novels, I loved the way the main characters' relationship developed over emails and texts. After being initially concerned that drawing the long-distance romance out over a year would get stale, I was pleasantly surprised at how skillfully the author developed the slow burn. When the Stacey finally meets up with "Dex," readers can't wait to see what drama unfolds.
Greatly appreciated the thoughtful way that the author includes self-worth and body confidence issues, especially with having to try on bridesmaid dresses - and both lead characters comparing themselves to other body types. Stacey is a strong female lead who a lot of readers can relate to and cheer for - she really shines in this book. The happy-ever-after ending was a bit far-fetched, but probably on point for a romance set at a renaissance faire, and it's wonderful to see Stacey prioritize her own happiness. I also loved that there's a subtle build going on in the background for the next book, which I can't wait to read. Thanks to the Jen DeLuca, the publisher, and NetGalley for access to this early copy - will be sharing with all of fellow my "rom com" readers!

I adored Well Met (DeLuca’s debut and the first book in this series), but sadly this one just wasn’t for me. Nothing stood out and made me love it. I like Stacey, but all the focus on Emily and Simon still makes it seem like she is a side character. She has a decent story arc, but I did not care for her love interest at all and felt that they had no chemistry.

For a novel that is supposed to be all bout a character who loves the Ren Faire sooo much, we really do not spend much time at the faire itself. Which let’s be honest, the faire was the best part of Well Met.

I got why we had the story span over a year, but I felt that we did not get the depth of emotions and the whole story just sort of flew by.

The catfishing element that everyone is talking about was more annoying to me than anything else. It is not explored well, and Daniel gets too many second chances.

Overall, this is a fine romance novel and I will 100% read Well Matched, but it lacked something that prevented me from loving it.

I loved Well Met so I was super excited to get my hands on the sequel, Well Played, which features Stacey. Overall, Well Played was a cute romance, but it didn’t have the magic and flair of Well Met. I loved the setting vibes that the author had just like in the first book. It was also great to see what’s going on with Emily and Simon from the first book. One aspect I didn’t love was the love troupe. I really hope cat fishing doesn't become a popular love troupe. I felt that Stacey and her love interest lacked chemistry and I wasn’t really shipping them as a couple. If you loved the first book, then you may enjoy this one since there are appearances of Emily and Simon.

It was a 3.5 for me. I found the first ha'f of this book to be slow and a bit monotonous and difficult to get though. I think the hardest part was that Stacy seemed to fall flat for me with her social media aspect. However, once we get half way though the book and into the ren fest part of the novel it is a faster read and enjoyable. The reason I picked this book up was for ren fest romance and I think I was disappointed I didn't get as much of the ren fest as I wanted. I for sure say that the first one is way better and worth your time. And this was nice ending for Stacy. I actually think it could be a great spin off.

ARC was provided by NetGalley and Berkley in exchange for an honest review.

This review is being published before the release date (September 22nd, 2020)


Content/Trigger Warnings: Talk of loss of a loved one (in the past, to cancer), talk of fertility hardships, talk of heart attacks (in the past), a lot of talk and thoughts of body image, depictions of anxiety, and catfishing

“It all started with a necklace.”

I’m back again with more of the wench life! But seriously, I absolutely adore Renaissance Festivals and actually, I usually attend the Maryland Renaissance Festival almost every year. Every time fall rolls around, I would automatically be plotting, planning when my trip of the year would happen. And of course I would dress up in costume. You can’t go to the Maryland Renaissance Festival without getting into a costume (usually in Elven attire). However, with the pandemic happening, this might be the first year I don’t attend Renn. Fest. and my heart is truly saddened by that thought. So being able to read the next book in this series has brought some comfort and happiness into that hole that’s formed in my chest.

Our story follows Stacy, the other tavern wench from the first book. If you remember in the first book, faire was starting to hit that point of the last round before it closes for the year. And this is where we pick up in book two. As faire is beginning to end, Stacy finds that she’s eager for some change and we quickly discover her friends with benefits relationship with Dex, one of the brothers from the Dueling Kilts, who preform at the Willow Creek Renaissance Festival every year.

But that’s the trouble with faire coming to a close, everyone one gets back to their normal routine and that means the Dueling Kilts move onto the next big gig, usually the Maryland Renaissance Festival. So when Stacy is thrust back into her usual routine; working in a dentist office as a receptionist, living the cozy life in her studio apartment, and coming home to the only guy who seems to love her unconditionally (a.k.a. Benedick the cat), Stacy begins to reevaluate her life. After college, Stacy had left her small town life behind and moved to New York where she was going to pursue her passion for fashion, but when her mother started having health complications, Stacy dropped everything immediately to be where she was needed most, with her family.

“And together, that flickering light and that sense of yearning made me want something new. A life on the road. A life somewhere other than here.”

With all of her friends, who have left Willow Creek behind, starting their lives (thanks to social media) and the realization she’s entering her later twenties still single, Stacy begins to feel the weight and pressure of society’s expectations. So one night when she’s missing her summer fling something fierce (and maybe the wine had a little extra help in this), Stacy gets the courage to write up a message to Dex, on the Dueling Kilt’s band page. After waking up with a killer hangover and a lot of mortification, Stacy soon realizes she’s received a response.

One message turns into two, two turns into a week’s worth of messages, and soon we see Stacy live her life through a year while texting the guy she’s falling for. We see Stacy help Emily with planning her wedding, join a book club, and of course, keep cracking jokes with Mitch. We also see Stacy help a lot more with the prepping of the Willow Creek Renaissance Festival, but despite all these wonderful things happening, with the anticipation at an all time high, Stacy begins to question a lot of things.

You’ll just have to pick up this book come this September if you want to know what happens with Stacy because going any further would just spoil the book. If you’re looking for a cute romance with that amazing small town setting (of course, the Renaissance Festival setting too) and the deep roots of community then I can’t recommend it enough! Of course, the romance is super cute too. I really enjoyed the romance and there’s some really good banter in this book. Stacy is also a plus sized and she talks about her body, her body image, and her journey with her confidence. I really appreciated that especially myself being plus sized, I have a deep appreciation when plus size representation is done well.

“His words squeezed my heart, and I couldn’t take a good deep breath.”

I also have to talk about the family aspect of this book. There’s definitely a of subplot in this book that focuses on family, family expectations, and how hard it can be to leave your family especially when you feel like they need you to be close. But we also see the other side of that where your family wants you to live your life and chase down your dreams. There was a moment between Stacy and her mother, and I just felt the biggest surge love for the relationship these two characters have. I ended up really missing my own family after that and I ended up sending off a bunch of emails to them. There’s so many moments about family in this book that hit close to home and I really loved that about this book.

I think held back from the full five star this time for plethora of reasons. There were a lot of times reading this book where it felt like Stacy had to do a lot of the work. Relationships are hard, but it’s not a two way street and both people have to make an effort to make it work. I just didn’t see that happening on the love interest side of things. In all honesty, it felt like there was an over-use of the excuse “but I’m not like so-and-so” to not do the work that builds the foundation of the relationship. On the topic of relationship foundation, I definitely felt like there was a huge lack of communication and honesty between Stacy and the love interest. There were times where big, important things felt like they were forgiven too quickly or swept under the rug to escalate their relationship quicker. I think for myself, I would have liked to have seen a more in depth conversation happen between the two, but that might be the married person in me talking (so take this with a grain of salt). And as much as I enjoyed Stacy, there were a lot of times where she felt dated. There were times where I forgot that she was twenty-seven and I just wanted to see her do something that wasn’t predictable.

“You’ll never be alone. Not if I have anything to say about it.”

Overall, I really enjoyed my time reading this book! This was exactly what I needed to feel a bit better with cancelling my Renaissance Festival plans for this year. Also, I didn’t mention this anywhere else in this review, but I freaking adore Stacy’s cat, Benedick. That cat was fantastic, Stacy dresses him up with dragon wings, and I just love that ball of floof so darn much! Anyway, I’m super excited because after I finished reading this, I went to check to see if there was another book in this series. Now, I was saying this for the last handful of chapters of this book and I swear, the screech that left my body was loud enough to make the whole neighborhood wake up. Well Matched, the third book in this series, is April and Mitch’s book and my heart, my soul, and my mind have all abandoned me and are waiting for 2021 to hurry up! I’m so excited and I truly cannot wait for this book!


The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

Well Played by Jen Deluca is the 2nd book in her Well Met series. This story revolves around the Renaissance Faire that comes to Willow Creek every year. We met Stacey (our heroine) in the first book, as she was Emily’s (previous book heroine) best friend. Stacey is happy with the friends she has in Willow Creek, but she feels something is missing, since she came back to Willow Creek years before to care for her mother. She looks forward to the Faire every summer, playing her fun part as a wench, flirting with visitors and spending time with friends at the bar, but for the rest of the year, she is lonely. She did find herself having a one night stand the last two years with Dex MacLean (a manwhore) who was part of the band Dueling Kilts, though he ignored her the rest of the time.

When the faire is over, to her surprise, she begins to receive emails from Dex, who is with his band at a large Renaissance Faire event that last for months. Stacey finds herself looking forward to the emails, and beginning to have some feelings, but when it gets closer to the summer again and the faire at Willow Creek, she notices some things in his emails. She starts paying more attention to them, since they really do not sound like things Dex would say; sounding sweet, fun, caring and nothing like the egotistical Dex she knew. Stacey suspects that the man she was falling for is really his brother Daniel.

Daniel MacLean, our hero, is a nice guy, but also a bit shy. Upon arriving in Willow Creek, Stacey corners him accusing him that he is the one writing to her. At first Daniel will deny it, but he finally gives in and acknowledges that he was indeed her pen pal. At first Stacey is mad, but in a short time her and Daniel begin to act on their new found feelings, and the real romance begins. They made a great couple, and I really liked them together, as they had great chemistry. What follows is a fun romance between Stacey and Daniel, and if they will find a way to stay together, since Daniel and the band are on the road most of the year, and Stacey has family and friends in Willow Creek.

Well Played was a fun, sweet and sexy story, with another amazing heroine in Stacey. I really loved the secondary characters in this series. I am looking forward to the next book, when its April (Emily’s sister) who will be matched to Mitch. Jen Deluca did a wonderful job writing this wonderful romantic comedy that that had a lot of humor and charm. I suggest you read Well Played, as it was a fun enjoyable read.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the ending did fall a little flat for me. It was great being back in Willow Creek and seeing Emily and Simon again, and I’m so happy Stacey got her happy Every after. My only qualm is that, after all the crap that Daniel put her through with the lying and pretending to be someone else, he should’ve been the one to fight for her in the end (and every time in between) instead of Stacey being the one to go after him. It made everything that Stacey put up with seem okay, when really it wasn’t. I did love the book though, and I will gladly be recommending it.

It’s romantic, it’s cute, it’s back in an adorable small town with a renaissance fair, and our favorite couple from Well Met makes an supporting role appearance!

Stacey gave up a lot to move home to help her mom after she got sick, but now she’s been here too long and she feels stuck. After Emily and Simon get engaged (Well Met), Stacey is happy for her friend but a little bummed about her current circumstances being single and stuck.

Dex is her summer hookup from this traveling show on the Ren Fair circuit so when she sends him a drunk message to reconnect, she just believes it was him who answered and she messages with for the next 9 months for the next fair and starts to fall in love with! Or is it... bum bum buuuummm!

My six word review:
Catfished on the renaissance fair circuit!