Well Matched by Jen DeLuca Series: Well Met #3
Also in this series: Well Met, Well Played, Well Traveled
Published by Berkley on October 19, 2021
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she's decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell.
Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire -- a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she'll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more "serious" career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what's real and what's been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship.
As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch's family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch's girlfriend again... something that doesn't feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they've just been putting on an act. But when there's the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans -- and open her heart -- for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.
An accidentally in-love rom-com filled with Renaissance Faire flower crowns, kilts, corsets, and sword fights.
Well Matched was LOVELY! Jen DeLuca is so great at writing a great romance between great characters, and I love Mitch so much. I’ve been so excited about this book! I always love her Ren Faire setting and the surrounding town. It was fun to say hi to the couples from the previous books, too. I did feel that Well Matched was a little less rom-com and a little more women’s fiction, but it didn’t bother me. There’s still a lot of swoons, but there’s also a big focus on April and her personal journey. Her life is shifting, she’s a single mom about to become an empty nester, and she’s looking ahead at a future she’s not sure about. Her daughter’s father is trying to reconnect with her daughter, so she’s also dealing with that uneasiness as to how to keep her daughter emotionally safe and also let her connect with her parent. As I said before, I love Mitch. I also love fake dating, so this silly little fake girlfriend scheme of Mitch’s adds some lightness to the heavier issues underneath it all. I loved seeing Mitch’s more sensitive and intuitive side. He’s there for April as a friend, helping her when he can, and I loved that serious, protective part of his personality. Up to this point, he’d just been the flirty man in the kilt to me. His family dynamic was also super interesting to read about. All in all, this was very sweet and enjoyable and I can’t wait for what Jen DeLuca does next!
I still haven’t gotten to Well Played and now there’s a third one?! I just can’t keep up :-)
The 4th one is coming out in September, so you’ve got a bit of time for that one at least. :)
Wait, there’s a fourth one?!?!
Yes!! It’s called Well Traveled and I can’t WAIT! You’ll meet the person this book will star in Well Matched. :)
Ooh, I hope it’s not too women’s fiction instead of romance, because I don’t always get into those. But I’m excited for the characters in this story to get their HEA, so can’t wait to read it! Thanks for sharing!
The romance is definitely there, there’s just more things going on as well and I guess I was hoping for more focus on the romance part of it like with her other books. That being said, I’m not a women’s fiction fan either and I still really enjoyed this one! :)