Author: Jen DeLuca

Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca | Book Review

Posted January 12, 2023 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 1 Comment

Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca | Book ReviewWell Traveled by Jen DeLuca
Series: Well Met #4
Also in this series: Well Met, Well Played, Well Matched
Published by Berkley on December 6, 2022
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 304
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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The Renaissance Faire is on the move, and Lulu and Dex are along for the ride, in the next utterly charming rom-com from Jen DeLuca.

A high-powered attorney from a success-oriented family, Louisa "Lulu" Malone lives to work, and everything seems to be going right, until the day she realizes it’s all wrong. Lulu’s cousin Mitch introduced her to the world of Renaissance Faires, and when she spies one at a time just when she needs an escape, she leaps into the welcoming environment of turkey legs, taverns, and tarot readers. The only drawback? Dex MacLean: a guitarist with a killer smile, the Casanova of the Faire… and her traveling companion for the summer.

Dex has never had to work for much in his life, and why should he? Touring with his brothers as The Dueling Kilts is going great, and he always finds a woman at every Faire. But when Lulu proves indifferent to his many plaid charms and a shake-up threatens the fate of the band, Dex must confront something he never has before: his future.

Forced to spend days and nights together on the road, Lulu’s interest in the kilted bad boy grows as he shows her a side of himself no one else has seen. The stresses of her old lifestyle fade away as she learns to trust her intuition and follow her heart instead of her head. But when her time on the road is over, will Lulu go with her gut, or are she and Dex destined for separate paths?

I love Jen DeLuca’s Well Met series! I love taking a trip to a Renaissance Faire through her stories, seeing the little skits and shows, the costumes, and the fun booths where people sell things. I never wanted to visit one of these faires until I started reading these books. What a dream it would be to see one in real life! Especially if there’s as many opportunities to fall in love as this series makes it seem! Well Traveled is the 4th (and final) book in this series, and while it does stand on its own I recommend reading the other books because characters from the earlier books show up in this one. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. Lulu comes onto the scene in a previous book for just a little bit, but she made an impression and I was so excited to find out she was going to get her own story in this series! Lulu is Mitch’s cousin, and if you’ve read the other books in this series you’ll remember Mitch as the kilted life of the party, who plays a role in the human chess match at every Faire. She’s an attorney, has a bit of a crisis, and runs off to the Faire where she meets a group of brothers who spend their summers traveling from Faire to Faire playing their music. Lulu goes through a lot of personal growth in this book, more so than we saw with the leading ladies in DeLuca’s other stories. She grapples with work/life balance, figuring out what she wants out of life, and letting loose a little in order to find her happiness. She tosses her phone into a wash bin, hands off her laptop to a friend for safekeeping, and goes off the grid in order to reset. That takes bravery and determination, and I loved this journey for her.

2. Dex, swoony member of the band The Dueling Kilts, is just… *dreamy sigh*. He’s a rake, who seems to be ready to find someone to settle down with. He just doesn’t know it yet. And he surprises himself when he starts realizing that the idea of having one someone to love is appealing after all. The way he looks at Lulu and the things he thinks about her had me swooning. I love it when the bad boy starts to soften because he starts thinking about the big picture instead of only living in the moment.

3. The romance between Lulu and Dex blooms at a very slow and tender rate. It was so nice to luxuriate in all their little moments together. I just feel like these two are going to make it. They went from relatively indifferent to one another, to friends, to more and it felt so genuine and authentic. There’s some steamy scenes (hello RV moment, I’m looking at you), which haven’t been too prominent in DeLuca’s other books. That being said, this almost felt more women’s fiction than romance for the bulk of the book. Which is FINE. I would have liked a little more banter and flirting between our two leads, though. The romance takes a bit of a backseat to the growth Lulu goes through until later on in the book. But I didn’t mind!

4. The secondary characters were wonderful. Lulu finds a group of card readers and develops a friendship that helps her along her way. I liked that friendship aspect. I also loved the friendships she formed with the other members of the band/team.

5. There’s SO much Renn Faire in this, and I loved it. I loved all the descriptions of the Faire, what life is like when you travel from one to the next, etc. It was so much fun.

6. I loved catching up with the couples and characters from the previous books, and seeing where their lives have taken them. I’m going to miss everyone!

7. Jen’s writing is so good. Her descriptions, the things she has her characters say to each other, and the small moments that add up to such a wonderful story are all perfection.

What a wonderful conclusion to this series. I’ve been saying for quite some time that Well Played is my favorite book in this series, but Well Traveled might have taken its place now. I highly recommend Jen DeLuca’s books, and can’t wait to see what she does next!


Well Matched by Jen DeLuca | Mini Book Review

Posted January 6, 2022 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 6 Comments

Well Matched by Jen DeLuca | Mini Book ReviewWell 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!


Well Played by Jen DeLuca | Mini Book Review

Posted April 29, 2021 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 5 Comments

Well Played by Jen DeLuca | Mini Book ReviewWell Played by Jen DeLuca
Series: Well Met #2
Also in this series: Well Met, Well Matched, Well Traveled
Published by Berkley on September 22, 2020
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 313
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Stacey is jolted when her friends Simon and Emily get engaged. She knew she was putting her life on hold when she stayed in Willow Creek to care for her sick mother, but it's been years now, and even though Stacey loves spending her summers pouring drinks and flirting with patrons at the local Renaissance Faire, she wants more out of life. Stacey vows to have her life figured out by the time her friends get hitched at Faire next summer. Maybe she'll even find The One.

When Stacey imagined "The One," it never occurred to her that her summertime Faire fling, Dex MacLean, might fit the bill. While Dex is easy on the eyes onstage with his band The Dueling Kilts, Stacey has never felt an emotional connection with him. So when she receives a tender email from the typically monosyllabic hunk, she's not sure what to make of it.

Faire returns to Willow Creek, and Stacey comes face-to-face with the man with whom she’s exchanged hundreds of online messages over the past nine months. To Stacey's shock, it isn't Dex—she's been falling in love with a man she barely knows.

Another laugh-out-loud romantic comedy featuring kilted musicians, Renaissance Faire tavern wenches, and an unlikely love story.

Ahhhhh! I loved this! It’s even better than Well Met, and I loved that one too! This book gives us a romance that develops through text messaging and mistaken identities. Stacey believes she’s texting Dex, the man she’s had a crush on for quite some time. She’s completely delighted that this man who is… not too deep or easy to connect with is all of a sudden such a great conversationalist. The reader knows who Stacey is texting, but it takes her a while to figure it out on her own. And luckily it doesn’t take too too long, because I get bored with this trope and frustrated by the deception after a while. Jen DeLuca moved things along at the perfect pace for me. I’m glad that this relationship is given the chance to flourish and grown once the truth is out there, because if the reveal had happened at the end in a “You’ve Got Mail” style of, “Oh my goodness, it’s you. I wanted it to be you.” and then the book ended I would’ve thrown something!

I love the Ren Faire setting. I’ve always heard of these events, but never felt all that interested in attending one. This series makes me want to dress up and go pretend! Stacey is easy to relate to, and the romance is so, so sweet. The man she discovers she’s been texting is wonderful. So much better than Dex. I love Jen’s writing and her characters, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series!


Well Met by Jen DeLuca | Book Review

Posted March 25, 2020 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 4 Comments

Well Met by Jen DeLuca | Book ReviewWell Met by Jen DeLuca
Series: Well Met #1
Also in this series: Well Played, Well Matched, Well Traveled
Published by Berkley on September 3, 2019
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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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.

I’ve always thought going to a Renaissance Faire sounded like a lot of fun, so I was immediately drawn to this title that predominately takes place at one. The story is just as adorable as the cover! As always, my main points are bolded.

1. I will admit that it took me a little while to get into this one. Things moved slowly as Emily settles in to take care of her sister, April, and her niece, Caitlin, after they were in a car accident. Emily tries to find her footing in a new town, recover from a bad relationship, and find new direction in her life. She ends up being roped in to Renn Faire and the first part of the book is mostly practicing for Faire, hating on Simon, and slowly making friends. It wasn’t heavy (or even semi-heavy) on the romance at all until about halfway through, but hang in there because you’ll love it once it starts. 

2. Simon and Emily each have baggage they’re carrying around, so it makes complete sense that they don’t like each other so much in the beginning. Simon is living in the shadow of his older brother, the founder of the town’s Renn Faire, since he died of cancer. He’s bitten off way more than he can chew, and is living a rather unfulfilling life. He plays a pirate at Faire, and I love that part of his personality. He’s able to let go of everything and have fun when he pulls on his black leather costume, and Emily and I both fell for him as we saw more of that side and less of his grumpy, frazzled side. He can also be incredibly romantic. Emily has come out of a really toxic relationship recently, and doesn’t know where her life is heading once summer is over. I really liked how authentic and down-to-earth she was. I also love the devotion she feels to her sister, and the bond she shares with her niece.

3. There are actually a lot of really fun platonic relationships in this book. Emily’s family relationships are so sweet. She’s also got Chris, the queen of Renn Faire as well as the owner of the bookstore Emily is working at. Then there’s her Faire friends, Mitch and Stacey, that she meets up with for pizza on Sunday nights after Faire is over for the week. I loved all of these secondary characters so much. Mitch in particular is so funny. He wears a kilt without a shirt during Faire and has the cockiest personality. But he’s also mushy and sweet to his friends. And Stacey is the sweetest best friend type.

4. I loved Renn Faire. The descriptions of what it looked and sounded like were so amazing that I felt transported to the woods and felt like I was the one watching the jousts and hearing the characters speak in their period language. The costumes, food, music, and set-up all sounded like so much fun.

5. The romance is so sweet. At one point, Simon decides he’s going to give Emily her first proper wooing and it’s so wonderful that I was giddy from it. These two have such great chemistry, and they also have this special bond that goes deeper and allows them to help each other through their issues.

All in all, I loved Well Met! It was the perfect mash-up of fantasy and reality, friendships and romance, and light-hearted fun that punches you in the feels. I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in the series!