I absolutely loved Well Met last year, so I was very excited to jump into the second book of this series with Well Played.

It’s always fun to see how characters from previous books are doing, and revisit a fun setting like Willow Creek for the Renaissance Fair. I think this was my first book series featuring a romance with that as the major setting and I love it!

Shy but charming Daniel Mac Lean and Anastasia are the new love interests in this story, and they are so sweet and overall an enjoyable couple to root for, but I may have enjoyed Well Met just a bit more, or fallen more for Emily and Simon.

*many thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own

Thank you to the publisher for an early release e-arc of Well Played by, Jen DeLuca. This is a second book In a series that I really enjoyed its predecessor, Well Met. Well Played was very anti climatic for me and I saw some situations as problematic in the relationship department. I do love the whole renaissance fair vibe and DeLuca’s writing is enjoyably paced. Unfortunately this book fell very middle of the road for me and I gave it three stars.

I loved last years, Well Met, but sadly this one fell flat for me. I didn’t like the characters or the storyline. I felt the magic that was in the first one was missing in this one. I loved Stacey so much in Well Played so I was excited for her story. While I still enjoyed Stacey, I just wasn’t happy with the love story that she was part of.

Not as good as Well Met, but returning to the Faire and familiar characters was still fun. The “twist” of an unsuspecting hidden identity didn’t really work and there wasn’t enough time for the romance to believably grow. But kudos to book clubs, friendship, and being brave enough to step outside of comfort zones.

RATING: 3/5 STARS

This was a cute book. I enjoyed reading about Stacey and Daniel's romance. It wasn't particularly memorable, but it's a nice way to pass some time if you're in the mood for something fluffy.

Well Met was one of my absolute favorite books of 2019. So while I was super excited to read this I was a little hesitant that it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. I am happy to say that this book did not disappoint! Stacey, Who was a bar wench alongside Emily in the previous book is starting to feel the sting of her friend’s new engagement. of course she is more than happy for Emily and Simon, but where does this leave her? The book picks up at the end of the renaissance fair. Stacey has had a summer fling with one of the performers but it is time for him to move on. One drunk night of messaging leads to a year long correspondence between Stacey and who she thinks is Dax her sexy summer fling. But The story ends up taking a bit of a Cyrano de Bergerac twist.

Love this small town and the setting of the renaissance fair. Stacey is a great character and I really liked getting to know her better. I also appreciated that we got to see what Emily and Simon were up to. Stacey’s love interest was such a sweet guy and I really loved watching that romance play out. such a lovely book that gave me the warm fuzzies and a desire to go to a Renaissance fair. Cannot wait for the next book in the series!

*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Well Played was a nice, slow burn romance. Admittedly I wanted more heat from it (personal preference as a romance reader!) but I did enjoy what DeLuca gave us. I loved watching Stacey and Daniel interact via email and text, and then later when they meet up.

I do kinda wish this story had been dual POV, though I know that would have taken the surprise out of "hey, you're talking to Daniel, not Dex!". But watching this all unfold only from her POV was a bit limiting and left me wanting more from the romance itself.

Having read Well Met, I was sooo ready to read this sequel. I loved, loved the story of Emily and Simon. To get to read the story of Emily/Emma's sassy tavern wench partner Stacey? Sign. Me. Up.

Stacey has been working summers at the local Ren Faire in her home for several summers now. She loves being a tavern wench and the vibe of the Ren Faire. But at the end of the summer, she feels kind of restless. Stacey lives in a little apartment above her parent's garage, working at a job she's being doing for a while. The only thing that has changed the monotony between Ren Faire and the next year for her, are all the messages she's been exchanging with Dex, a member of a band she had a fling with the summer before. They started out sending out messages but soon that become more. Now Ren Faire looms and Stacey can't wait to see this different version of Dex that she didn't know existed.

Firstly, I really enjoyed getting to jump back into this world. It's such a fun atmosphere and there's a lot going on. I will say it was a little different seeing it from Stacey's perspective. As a seasoned performer, she gave us a little less Ren faire and a little more every day life. That was kind of disconcerting, but I think it made sense with her character. She wasn't experiencing everything for the first time, so it was more like a maintenance and getting back into a routine for Stacey. I think it was also great to kind of get into her head through the romance, it allowed to give us more of who she was.

I did also really enjoy the interplay between she and Daniel and her relationship with him as it grew. I loved having a man accepting of her and who she was. That was sooo good. Plus the scenes with them getting to know each other after the reveal were vastly fulfilling. I did think it was a bit odd that she didn't pick up on the fact that it wasn't Dex, but I guess personas sometimes are put on for Ren Faire. I mean you saw it all the time with the work that Stacey and Emily did as tavern wenches. It's the only out I could think to give her. I really was thrilled with the ending too, that just felt right for Stacey. She needed to get out of dodge and find some freedom. It was going to be good for both she and Daniel I think to have someone at their back too.

I think the lack of Ren Faire was kind of hard for this book. You felt a bit at sea at times. But otherwise, my next point...

I will say what disappointed me was how I felt as if I was reading a story about a totally different person. Stacey only seems insecure when she's talking to someone else about her body. As someone who has body image issues, it's not a light switch. You don't just notice because someone else is present or makes you notice it. You may not openly self-talk about it, but the issues are there. That lack of consistency made it seem like the body image issues were coming up because of the character's size and not just because she had actual issues. I.E. Oh, she's fat, so we have to make her insecure about her body. I know there's a logical fallacy in there somewhere... but it just really bothered me.

Overall, I still really loved this story and I am so looking forward to the next book in the series. Thank you for the ARC.

Well Played
By Jen DeLuca

I really enjoyed WELL MET and the story of Simon and Emily, I knew I had to read this follow up to the series and in this installment, our story is about Stacey, Emily's best friend. Returning back to Willow Creek and the Renaissance Faire really got my heart swelling as I know that Jen DeLuca will make sure I get my fill of small town romance and for Stacy to find her "THE ONE" before Simon and Emily ties the knot.

I loved this endearing romance and of course DeLuca delivered in this fabulous series.

While I enjoyed the first novel in this series, WELL MET, I did not find that I enjoyed the story in WELL PLAYED quite as much. DeLuca's writing is great, but I did not feel as connected to the story line or the characters this time around. Having said that, I will definitely stick around for book three in this series to see if my experience changes a bit in the next novel!

I absolutely loved this book! I really enjoyed the first one but this one I think was my favorite so far in the series! I loved all of the characters as well as revisiting the renaissance fair! The love story that was carried through out through emails as well as texts was my absolute favorite part! I also had a inkling into what was going on and was so happy with the outcome. I’m hoping this series continues with Mitch’s story

I recently learned the author of this delightful series moved to my city and I can now score signed copies of this series! I love reading local authors so I was super excited to learn I can add Jen DeLuca to that list.

What I loved about this book:

1. The plot of this one was very well written and I think quite a few will find Stacey's character relatable. She moved home to help care for her sick mother, but ended up staying. Even though she has friends that she adores, her life feels stalled as she watches everyone else get married and have babies. One night after a few two many drinks she messages a summer Renaissance fling that's easy on the eyes even though there wasn't a deep connection. She definitely didn't expect the heartfelt email reply that she received. While the email seems uncharacteristic for Dex, she continues messaging back and forth with him and develops feelings she didn't expect to form. But when the Faire returns she's shocked to find out it wasn't Dex she had been messaging with all along.

2. This book is part of series so that means I got to read more about Simon and Emily (and their engagement) as well as swoon over a completely new couple. I enjoyed both characters (Stacy and Daniel) and their cute love story.

3. I've never been to a Renaissance Faire, but this series definently makes me want to go. Of course I'll have to wait awhile because of the whole Rona thing, but it's definitely on my to do list after all the lockdowns end. This series makes them sound like a truly magical experience and I can't wait to partake.

If you haven't read this series, I highly recommend you give it a shot (definitively start with Well Met ❤). I love DeLuca's entertaining sweet romances and hope we get to read Mitch's story in the near future!

I absolutely love Jen DeLuca's work. That's why I was so disappointed that the publisher spoiled the entire plot twist on the back of the book. The summary directly says that the person that the main character is messaging and falling in love with isn't who she thinks it is, and then within the first few pages of the book you know who it is. Unfortunately this isn't my deductive reasoning at work, it's just the fault of the publisher. I'm really upset because my overall enjoyment and love of this book was foiled by knowing exactly what was going on straight from the beginning. I hope that in the next printing the publisher can take all that extra detail from the summary off, it's really upsetting.

But otherwise I really enjoyed this book in Jen DeLuca's renaissance faire romance series. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book and to continue enjoying her work. I just really hope that this doesn't happen again.

Readers are invited back to the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire in Well Played, the companion novel sequel to last year’s Well Met. Our heroine Stacey has decided that it’s time for her to stop putting her life on hold, and to hopefully have things (including her love life) figured out by the time Renn Faire rolls around again next year. She impulsively reaches out to her Faire fling Dex MacLean online to see if there’s more to their relationship than spending the night together. After a year of exchanging emails and texts, Faire rolls around again and Stacey comes face to face with the man she’s gotten to know… only to discover that he’s not who she thinks he is. Well Played was a cute read that has a lot of lovely moments (romantic and otherwise), and still has that charming small town vibe. We are also reunited with familiar faces from book one and that was a personal highlight! I enjoyed it, especially since I’m a sucker for stories that involve the relationship developing through text and email interactions. And while the deception aspect made me uncomfortable, it didn’t bother me as much as it probably would have if I’d started reading this one without knowing it was part of the romantic plot. Unfortunately, there were two specific things that brought my overall rating for this one down. First, there is another deception in the second half of the story that didn’t sit well with me. And second, I would have liked it if our love interest had done a little more (or if maybe we’d gotten his perspective). Still, overall, I did like Well Played and would consider it a solid addition to the series. (I’m really eager to get my hands on the third book though!)

I was thrilled to know we were getting Stacey’s story after finishing Well Met. I adored the setting, the cast of characters, and the enjoyable banter and giddiness that Jen brought to the series with #WellMet. It’s a favorite on my shelf so I couldn’t wait to get into Well Played. What I found wasn’t quite what I had hoped for. I thought that this book lacked in the banter, steam, and giddy feels that I fell in love with in Well Met. I expected more from Stacey’s story, but what I did enjoy about it was again, the Ren Faire. It’s such a fun setting and while most of this takes place online, the excitement and joy of the faire win me over as they prep, interact, and reenact in the event. I also liked seeing how the relationship developed through emails to texts and ultimately face to face. I laughed when she figured it all out and called him out on it! This one was cute and charming, just not my favorite. I look forward to continuing with this series. Who’s storyline would you like to see next? I think I’m going to have to go with Mitch

I loved WELL MET, Jen DeLuca’s delightful debut novel, and I was highly anticipating the next book in the series… until I found out it was a catfishing plot. I have yet to read a catfishing romance that goes well for me. The whole thing is deceitful and immature, especially when it’s a grown thirty-something-year-old man. Going in with eyes open, I gave the book the old college try. And failed.

I am sad to say that DeLuca’s writing couldn’t save a floundering plotline and immature main characters. I actually really enjoyed the heroine… except when she was talking about her love life. She felt more like a high schooler than a grown-up. I finally decided to put the book down when I realized the catfishing plot wasn’t going to resolve itself in a timely manner (at the time I put the book down, they have been talking via email and text for MONTHS). I am not sure how the heroine would be able to forgive that much lying, but I sure as heck wouldn’t be able to, so I put the book aside for good. I am still a DeLuca fan, and I have high hopes for her next release; this book just wasn’t for me.

**I received a free copy of this book in order to provide an honest review**

Immediately after finishing Well Met I knew I needed this book too. And now after reading it, I’m glad to see I was right. This series is fast becoming a favorite of mine. Well Met is still my favorite, but this one was definitely good too.

When Stacey’s friends Simon and Emily get engaged, she’s thrown for a loop. She knew she had put her life on hold, but she didn’t realize it until she saw everyone else was “passing her by.” She vows to get her life figured out, which includes finding her “Simon.” She reaches out to her long time hook-up Dex via his Facebook in the hopes she can convince him that they can be more. But nine months later, it turns out she hasn’t been speaking to Dex at all…..

The number one best thing about this audio was of course the narrator. Y’all Brittany Pressley is the GOAT. I love listening to her. She has the best voices for all the different POVs in the stories she does. They always turn out so good. I always get so excited when I see her name on e-audios.

Ok as for the book, I really liked the plot. It’s just something about contemporary romances and the way they actually reflect the “right now.” This is DEFINITELY something that could happen today and although I hated it for her, I enjoyed reading about it. And even though I figured out who it was when they were introduced, I was still excited to see the reveal. (Messy I know lol)

The romance itself was very cute. I liked it, but it was also the reason I didn’t give this 5 stars. I liked the love interest, but for that person to have been the one in the wrong, SHE was certainly doing a lot of apologizing and running after them. I think I would have liked it more had they done more groveling because after the stunt they pulled? She deserved it. Like I don’t think the grand gesture should have been up to her. But that’s just me. I mean I’m all for girl power, but I still think she did the most when they did not.

The next book is the one I’m waiting for though. I think that one will be the one that tops even Well Met for me. I wanted this book to be about them, and when it wasn’t I was sad, thinking it wasn’t going to happen. And then when I found out it still would, I literally happy danced. And the things that happen in this book made me really anticipate what will happen to them.

This series is one of the cutest. In this one, the romance is sweet and the characters are cool. It wasn’t my favorite, but that was probably because of the lack of a broody pirate. (For the most part.) I can’t wait to see what DeLuca has ready for the next book!

Jenn has done it again! I sincerely loved the premise of this book and was so relieved that the conflict happened mid book so we could get more time with each of these precious characters. The ren faire was just as magical as the first book and such a fun and unique setting for a book! I cannot wait to see what happens in the third book!

Well Played by Jen DeLuca was high on my list of books to read this fall, especially after reading, (and loving), Well Met earlier this year. I am ALL about the happy books at the moment, and this book definitely left me with a smile on my face. I loved it so much!

In Well Met, we got to read Emily and Simon’s story, but in Well Played we get Stacey’s story! I love Stacey. She’s so upbeat and fun, definitely the kind of person I wish I could be. I love how much she loved the Faire, and her cat, and her family. And she’s such a good friend to Emily. Her love interest in the story, (who I am not going to mention by name), is perfect for her. They are so cute together! (Despite their relationship getting off to an interesting start.) I very much enjoyed watching their relationship grow. I also loved the secondary characters in the story! A lot of them we met in the first book, and some we get to meet for the first time. Fans of Emily and Simon will be thrilled to see what they’ve been up to since the end of the last book!

The storyline and setting for this book are much the same as the previous book. I LOVE the setting! I have never actually been to a Renaissance Faire before, but they sound so fascinating, and I would LOVE to go to one. (I definitely should find one!) I loved the descriptions of everything from the clothing to the acts and just everything. It’s so fun to read about!

For this book, I read both the print copy and listened to the audiobook, often times doing both at the same time. The narrator for the book, Brittany Pressley, also narrated the first book as well, and I was very happy to have her tell me the story once again. She’s fantastic, so if you have the opportunity to listen to the audio for this series, do check it out!

Overall; If you can’t already tell, I really, really enjoyed this book! Now I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, Well Matched, which is Mitch and April’s book, and is currently set to release in 2021!

Happy Reading!

I loved this book so much! It was absolutely amazing! I loved hearing about Stacy and cannot wait for the next installment!