This is the book I wanted to read when I wanted to read it: there's chemistry, escapism, romance, and some reflection. I hope Jen DeLuca writes more in the series, I eat them up and I can absolutely picture the audience for them too.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for this eARC!

This was maybe my favorite of the series so far? Lulu quits her job in pretty dramatic fashion (including throwing her phone in a makeshift lake) and starts to travel with the Dueling Kilts and Dex, who we've heard....a lot about in previous books in the series. Does this book have some convenient plot points? You betcha, but that was comforting. I mean this as a true compliment, it felt like a Hallmark movie in terms of plot, but the characters are allowed to kiss. And they both, you know, grow and self-actualize. And IDK, but the idea of being able to just leave your life and run away with the ren faire DOES seem pretty good at the moment, with a kilted man as a bonus (uhhhh why IS Dex wearing pants on this cover??)

MAKE THESE MOVIES, any streamer, I would watch them so many times.

Jen DeLuca's "Well Met" was one of the first books I read when I was just starting to read a lot of romance, and I've delightedly followed her Ren Faire protagonists through their adventures ever since. "Well Traveled" is a little bittersweet since it's the final book in the series. The romantic pairing here is Mitch's cousin Louise (or Lulu, as she comes to be known) and Dex, the Dueling Kilts' heartbreaker whose fling with Stacey was a plot point in book #2, "Well Played."

As "Well Traveled" begins, Louise has impulsively decided to spend a day at a Ren Faire during a business trip. She's an attorney who is hoping to make partner at her firm, but when her boss won't stop calling her and she realizes that he's stringing her along and she'll never get that promotion, she flings her phone into a tub of water, quitting her high-pressure job. Stacey, the only female on the road with the Dueling Kilts (her partner is the group's manager), impulsively suggests that Lulu go off the grid and spend the summer traveling with the Kilts. Lulu agrees, much to her own surprise; and when she winds up sharing a mobile home with Dex, the hunky guitar player proves hard to resist. Thanks to his reputation as a piece of "man candy" with a girl at every Faire, Lulu realizes they don't have a future together -- but even though he might not be Mr. Right, she's happy to have him be her Mr. Right Now.

The entire novel is told from Lulu's point of view, and I found myself wishing I could get into Dex's head a bit more. It's obvious that he's always been underestimated and treated like a guy with far more brawn than brains, but it's a bit unclear just when and how he decides to completely change his lifestyle and wholeheartedly embrace monogamy. The promiscuous rogue who settles down with a single woman when he finally falls in love is a popular romantic trope, but in this case I missed seeing Dex's hidden depths from his own perspective.

It's always fun to spend (vicarious) time at DeLuca's Ren Faire, however, and catch up with favorite characters like April, Mitch and Stacey. Book #4 isn't the best in the series, but it's still a solid read, and I definitely rooted for Lulu during her transformative summer.

The latest installment of the Well Met series follows lawyer Lulu as she has a breakdown at a renaissance fair, abruptly quits her job, throws her phone into a tub of water, and joining the Twisted Kilts in their travels.
Lulu (the cousin of Mitch), has always strived to live up to her family’s expectations. When she realizes she is never going to make partner at her misogynistic law firm, she quits on the spot and is consoled by Stacey, who invites her to travel with them for a few months. Lulu quickly finds her place in the rhythm of the den faire circuit, joining up with some fortune tellers.
Along the route to the final destination, Willow Creek, sparks fly between her and bad boy, ren faire lothario Dax, who is rumored to have a girl at every stop.
I thought this one was a bit slow to get started but ended up a very enjoyable read.

It's Renaissance Faire season once again! Lulu, a very busy attorney and desperate for a break and an escape, finds herself stopping in at a renaissance fair in North Carolina that might remind her of the faire she's always enjoyed with her grandma back at her cousin's stomping grounds in Willow Creak. In a moment of extreme stress, she makes an impulsive decision to quit her job, throw her phone in a bucket of water, and go off the grid for a while. Hardly any time passes before the enormity of what she's done crashes into her. What will she do now? Can she get her old job back? What does she really want for her life after living it for so long trying to meet others' expectations? Enter Stacey and Daniel (our couple from Well Played), who encourage her to travel around with the band, the Dueling Kilts, as they go from faire to faire over the summer. It might be just the reset Lulu is needing, and the lead guitarist, Dex MacLean, might also make for a great distraction, and maybe even something a little bit more.

What I Loved:
- Fast-paced story, as usual (thank you, Jen!)
- Lighthearted with fun characters that were easy to love and enjoy, with plenty of returning characters but of course a few new ones! It's fun to read about each of their stories with each book in the series and it's also fun to catch up with previous characters to see what they're up to now.
- The Renaissance Faire aspects continue to always be my favorite parts about this book series. The third book didn't have as much faire in it as this one did, and so I'm really happy to say that there was more faire added into this newest edition (I was left feeling like I wanted more in that last book)

What I Didn’t Love:
- I don't know that there was anything I didn't really love in this book. I think the second and third books fell a little short for me in a couple of aspects (the second one didn't feel like it had much depth to the characters and their relationships, and the third book felt like there was even less 'Ren Faire' than ever before), and I'm really happy to say that this book seemed to bounce back to something more akin to Well Met, which will still always be my favorite. (But this one is easily a close second!)
- As a note for readers, the first couple of books have been published in September (still giving off summer and end-of-summer vibes), and the most recent book was published a little bit later in October. This 4th book is slated to be published in December, which I find to be a bit unfortunate because it's such the perfect summer read, and I've been very fortunate enough to have the opportunity to read the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th books in the series early over the summer as advance reader copies. I find it to be such a wonderful experience as these books always feel so summery and so perfect for the season. So while I loved so much of this book, I wish that was something that was considered in order to make the reading experience the best it could be for readers.

Overall:
I read this one over a couple of nights before bed and one lazy morning. It's such a fast read (as these books always are) and it brought a bit of lighthearted joy to my reading life. As I continue to say, I realize that no subsequent books in this series will ever be as pleasantly delightful as the first book, Well Met - there was something extra special about that one (perhaps discovering a fun, unique twist to the classic rom-com with the introduction of a Renaissance Fair!). But this fourth book brings back some of that whimsical joy of the Ren Faire, two characters that you can root for, and their summer escapades. As always, I look forward to reading hopefully another book in this series (please keep writing, Jen!).

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for an e-ARC of this book!

This was my least favorite of the series (I have read all the others multiple times). I really didn't like Dex in the beginning, but he grew on me a bit by the end. I did like Lulu, but felt her development wasn't realistic. I enjoyed reading it, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting from DeLuca.

I will always and forever read everything that Jen DeLuca writes. This was an absolute delight and I devoured it. Every new title is a new treat!

This was just as good as the rest of the books in this series! I love Jen DeLuca's writing and can't wait to read more!

Thank you to NetGalley for approving my access to an e-ARC of this upcoming release.

Summary: For fans of the series and romance readers open to a story that emphasizes the heroine’s personal journey.

First, for prospective readers; if you are new to these works, they would be optimally enjoyed in series order; I don’t feel this title would work as a stand-alone or an introduction to the series.

Having read the previous 3 titles, I enjoyed returning to this RenFaire community and its characters; it is very immersive and in this instalment we see much more ‘behind the scenes’, with the focus on the traveling performers, rather than on the host community, and I found the details delightful. The pleasures of choosing work that you love and how to balance that against the tough things that this may entail - life on the road, economic uncertainty - added an element of realism that is often missing in stories where perhaps it is easier to write characters that do well-paid work or have a wealthy/privileged background (A ‘billionaire’ romance this is not - no penthouses, fine dining, or expensive grand gestures in this story, and I found that refreshing).

Lulu was introduced in an earlier title and I was looking forward to her story; Dex featured in all 3 earlier works, though not always in a good light, so I was interested to see how the author would work to show us a different side to his character. Additionally, I wasn’t immediately struck by these two as a ‘ship’ so I was also looking forward to the author changing my mind over the course of a slow-burn romance.

The set-up to bring the characters into proximity struck me as unrealistic - Lulu’s actions seemed so impulsive, to the point that she might have put her safety at risk, and I had trouble resolving that with the clear-thinking and driven person she would have had to be to become an associate at a law firm. After this initial speed bump, however, I enjoyed her story - and this is the core of my conflicted feelings about this title.

I felt that this book veered away from being a romance to being a work of contemporary fiction with an element of romance. Devoting so much of the story to Lulu’s personal transformation left Dex’s character somewhat undeveloped, and while they supported each other in their growth, I didn’t feel that they needed each other to grow - they weren’t each others’ catalyst for change, but rather changed in parallel.

With no Dex POV provided, we were seeing him only through Lulu’s and his family’s eyes. Given that Dex has been described as the RenFaire’s ‘bicycle’, this was a perfect setup for an updated “reformed rake” trope to play out, and while there is some sizzle, the book doesn’t devote as much time as I was anticipating to their intimate scenes. The point that Dex can be someone other than a just good-time hookup with Lulu doesn’t mean that this reader wasn’t hoping for a little more when they finally do connect.

I love Jen DeLuca's Ren Faire world and her newest one, Well Traveled, may just be my favorite. Lulu, Mitch's cousin (from Well Matched), decides to chuck her lawyer life in order to discover what she really wants. She ends up spending the summer with Stacy (from Well Played) and the the band Dueling Kilts. I loved the contrast between Lulu, who has spent her entire adult life trying to live up to her family's expectations, and Dex, who everyone sees as a dumb, sexy guitar player. Keep your eyes out for when this releases in December- you'll love it!

First, let me preface that I love this series. LOOOOOOVE this series.
I've read and listened to "Well Met" 2x each. (Or did I read it 3x?)
So I was curious about this one because, well, it's Dex getting his own book, and...
*SIGH*
The himbo didn't need his own book.

I know, I know--there's something beneath the surface. But he has already spent three books being a Cardboard Casanova, a RenBro, that it's hard to buy the transformation. (It was why the second book in the series, "Well Played," got dinged by me.)

I hate to say that already at 20% in I went to the last quarter of the book, then skimmed in between. It just couldn't hold me. And a lot of the book was simply watching Luisa's transformation, anyway. Living our dream of ditching a high-stress job to, if not run away with the circus, then run away with a Renfair troop. I did local Renfairs as a teenager, so I knew a lot of the background stuff, which maybe it was why it didn't enthrall me like it might someone else. (I was briefly wistful.)

I know there was no tension between Luisa and Dex the first quarter of the book the way there already was between Emily and Simon in "Well Met." It felt like it wanted to be a literary romance, with intimacy tossed in, rather than follow the structure and pacing of the other books in the series.

It's hard to build a romance around tertiary characters when one has stayed flat for so long (Dex) and one you've barely met (Luisa). NOW I truly believe there can't possibly be another book in this series, unless for some reason we start moving through the members of the Dueling Kilts, which I hope not.
(So so sorry again! :-( )

It was so nice to be back in the Willow Creek world! (Even if most of the book takes place outside Willow Creek.) When I read Well Matched and met Lulu, I was so sad the series was only a trilogy- and then Jen DeLuca saw right into my brain and now we have the Lulu/Dex greatness that is Well Traveled.

I really loved that we got to see life on the road this time and seeing Lulu come into her own through her time on the road/with the Faire was a lot of fun. I've been waiting for Dex to get a book so that we could learn more about him outside of his role as the 'Faire bicycle.' (Which is a fine thing to be, but I enjoyed seeing him fall for Lulu even before Lulu realized he was.)

I know this was already a bonus book technically, but I don't want to say goodbye to Willow Creek and its inhabitants! I do, however, want to go to a Renaissance Faire real bad.

If you're a fan of Jen DeLuca's Renaissance Faire Romance novels, Well Traveled is a must read. If you're a fan of great characters, good development, and steamy motorhome sex-capades, then also add this to the top of your list. Louisa fins herself drawn to a Renaissance Faire on her day off only to have a chain of events make it quit her job and take the summer traveling with a band from faire to faire. Dex is looking for more while trying to figure out his priorities and managing the family band. They both have to give up a little, but in the end they'll get a lot.

The latest in the Well Met series follows Mitch's cousin, an attorney who needs a reset from her fast paced, soul sucking life. The romance in this one is a bit of a slow burn but I enjoyed the dialogue.

This might be my favorite yet! The plot dynamics are familiar, but I enjoyed these two characters. Both get fleshed out in appropriate ways and it's nice to see the familiar faces as well.

DeLuca does it again with this installment of her Renaissance Faire series. Louisa and Dex are perfect opposites that attract in all the right ways. A lawyer reinventing herself after life throws her a curveball and a hot, kilt-wearing player who learns to let people behind the mask make for an electric pairing. DeLuca deftly weaves her way through a found family and a heroine who falls of the grid to find herself. As Dex and Louisa grow closer, DeLuca uses these intimate moments to propel the story further and to show us the depth of her characters. Filled with emotionally magnetic moments that don't feel stale or cliched, Well Traveled is a must read for contemporary romance readers.

I have been super excited about this book ever since Jen DeLuca announced that she was writing as I'm a huge fan of this series. Fun, tropey contemporary romance set at a Ren Faire? Yes please! And this book? This book is amazing. Well Met, the first of the series, has had the spot as my favorite but I think Well Traveled ties with it now. It was just so much fun and I love Lulu and her journey so much and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Dex fall in love with her.

Readers of the series will of course recognize Dex immediately -the hunky guitar player from The Dueling Kilts and ladies man of the Ren Faire circuit who Stacey (Well Played) had a crush on for awhile. He's initially presented as a pretty stereotypical f*ckboy, but romance readers of course saw more than that in him and Jen DeLuca apparently did as well! She paired him with Louisa Malone (Lulu), cousin to Mitch (Well Matched) who is a burned out lawyer whose lost her way. So obviously she joins the Ren Faire circuit for the summer. Traveling with The Dueling Kilts, learning tarot, and slinging turkey legs is just all a part of the self discovery journey. And if she falls in love with an incredibly hot, kilt-wearing musician who wants to spend time with her over anyone else? Well, all the better.

Seriously, I don't think fans of the series will be disappointed in any way by this book. I read it in one day and was delighted by every second of it. I don't know if Jen DeLuca write any more books in the series, but regardless, I can't wait for more from her.

Thank you for the opportunity to read Well Traveled. While I did enjoy the other titles in the series, this story was just okay for me. The romance was flat and the chemistry was lacking between Dex and Lulu. I was more interested in Todd and Michelle’s long distance relationship.

This series is just pure unadulterated joy and I can't imagine Jen DeLuca ever missing. Total perfection!

Since I'm familiar with Jen DeLuca's Renaissance Faire series, I went into "Well Traveled" blind, without reading the synopsis. This is partially because I trust DeLuca, and partially because even though romances are pretty predictable, I wanted to discover as I went along instead of anticipating. I sometimes do this with movies, avoiding the trailer. Hell, I didn't even look at the cover of the book before reading!

That meant that I was pleasantly surprised with how Louise "Lulu" Malone (cousin to Mitch in "Well Matched") completely self-destructs while attending the Ren Faire and quits her job as a lawyer, mid-conversation with her boss on the phone. For anyone frustrated with their job, it's a thoroughly satisfying fantasy to play out.

Of course, that means while Lulu is regrouping, she runs away with the Ren Faire, traveling along with the band the Dueling Kilts for a while until landing back at Willow Creek. And yes, if that name is familiar, it's because we saw Stacey and Daniel's love story in "Well Played" earlier in the series, in which Daniel has a bit of a Cyrano moment as the band's manager.

So here's where it gets weird. Fairly early on, we're introduced to the various Dueling Kilts musicians, all of whom are good-looking dudes from the same family. What's odd is that it takes so long for it to become apparent who Lulu is supposed to match with. To be clear, as readers by process of elimination we can figure out it's Faire Casanova Dex MacLean because Lulu has the strongest attraction to him. And eventually it's revealed that all the other men are paired up with others. But the slow burn of this attraction is so subtle, so seemingly one-sided that I didn't feel much tension at all. For a good chunk of the novel, we're just following Lulu doing a lot of Ren Faire stuff, which includes learning that's she's good at collecting tips and organizing the tarot card readers' appointments.

Anyhow, I found that I really didn't mind that at all. DeLuca makes up for that very low and slow simmer in a rather explosive and satisfying narrative way. But I can see how that pacing may feel off for some people because we don't get as much of the anticipatory "dance." But we do get for more Faire than usual, lots of behind the scenes, more of the rhythm of the day-to-day, a better feel for the different groups. I really liked seeing more of the fortune tellers, and like Lulu, I'm a skeptic, so it was approached in a way that I found sympathetic.

I felt that I didn't get to know Dex MacLean as a protagonist that well. We know that he's underestimated and relegated to just being the pretty boy lover boy with a heart of gold, but I still had difficulty getting a handle on him. It ultimately made it more difficult to understand the chemistry between him and Lulu. I took it on faith, and I liked Lulu enough to keep reading, but he seems more conceptual than real to me.

There is an air of maturity and bittersweetness to their romance, each having gone through quite a bit in their lives and suddenly realizing they needed to change. I didn't need to read the acknowledgments (although I always do) to know this was written during the pandemic. A few rom-com authors I'm familiar with released books during the pandemic, and while a couple of them were disappointments, not quite living up to the levels of depth or humor as they had previously, one author dug deep and delivered a devastatingly heartbreaking yet beautiful romance.

This is not quite to that level, but it does tap into a bit of the feeling of the past few years, the wistfulness, discarding old habits and toxicity, the recalibration of what's important, gravitating toward something new despite fears. This installment in the series is the one that will probably stick with me the longest.

(Review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley and Berkley)