Well Met by Jen DeLuca

Well Met (Well Met, #1)

by Jen DeLuca

All's faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author Jen DeLuca.

Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?

The faire is Simon's family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn't have time for Emily's lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?

This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

5 of 5 stars

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Rating: 4.5 Stars

Emily's life sort of imploded, after she lost her boyfriend, her home, and her job. Therefore, when her sister was injured in a car accident, she didn't hesitate to pickup and relocate to Willow Creek in order to care for April. Emily may not have realized it, but moving to Willow Creek was one of the best decisions she had ever made.

Huzzah! I adored this book! I laughed and smiled and simply had a wonderful time reading Well Met. I am not sure what I loved best about it, but here's a rundown of things that delighted me.

• I loved being at the Renaissance Faire! I used to see commercials on TV when I was a kid, and always wanted to go. Now, I sort of feel like I did, because DeLuca did such a wonderful job depicting it for me, and immersing me in the Ren Faire life.

• Small towns never fail to win my heart, and Willow Creek was one special place. There's something about the way everyone knows each other, and how they share so much history. DeLuca was honest, and exposed some of the negatives, but those positive things held so much more weight, and seeing the town rally around their own was a thing of beauty.

• What happened to Emily was horrible. My heart broke for her, but I was overjoyed to see her making connections and planting some roots in Willow Creek. I know people felt like she was second guessing herself a lot, but can you blame her with what happened with her last boyfriend? I had a lot empathy for her, and could relate to those feelings of inadequacy.

• The relationship between Emily and her niece, Cait, was quite wonderful. I liked seeing it growing stronger and stronger with each chapter. I was also happy to see her being able to connect with her older sister. They were separated by quite a few years, but it warmed my heart seeing their friendship blossom and grow during April's recovery.

• I have a soft spot for grumpy heroes, and Simon definitely qualified as one, though, once I learned why he was so grumpy, I wanted to wrapped my arms around him and give him a hug. He had had a few tough years, and I so wanted him and Emily to work out, because he deserved that level of happiness.

• I have mentioned how amusing and funny this book was, but it was also quite emotional at times. Both Emily and Simon were dealing with some open wounds, and they were having a hard time moving forward. It was fantastic that they were able to help the other see the situation from a different perspective, because that insight made all the difference.

I have nothing but love for this book. It made me laugh, swoon, and smile. My face hurt, while I was reading it, as it does right now, as I pen this review, because it made me so happy. Well Met was an utter delight, and I will eagerly await more from Jen DeLuca.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 26 August, 2019: Finished reading
  • 26 August, 2019: Reviewed