Source: Publisher (Netgalley)

In the Weeds by B.K. Borison | Book Review

Posted August 18, 2023 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 0 Comments

In the Weeds by B.K. Borison | Book ReviewIn the Weeds by B.K. Borison
Series: Lovelight #2
Also in this series: Business Casual, Mixed Signals
Published by Berkley on July 13, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 334
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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A grumpy farmer and a no-nonsense social media influencer have another chance at love in this charming romantic comedy.

Evelyn St. James isn’t the kind of woman you forget. Beckett Porter certainly hasn’t. One incredible weekend in Maine, and he’s officially a man distracted. He’s not unfamiliar with hot and heavy flings, but Evie wove some sort of magic over him during their tumble in the sheets. He can’t stop thinking about her laugh. Her hand pressed flat against his chest. Her smiling mouth at his neck.

So when she suddenly appears on his farm as part of a social media contest, he is…confused. He had no idea that the sweet and sexy woman he met at a bar is actually a global phenomenon. When Evie disappears again, Beckett resolves to finally move on.

But Evie, who has been feeling disconnected from her work and increasingly dissatisfied with life online, is trying to find her way back to something real. She returns to the last place she was Lovelight Farms and the tiny town of Inglewild. And it has absolutely nothing to do with the hot farmer she spent two incredible nights with.

*happy sigh* The Lovelight series is quickly becoming a cozy favorite of mine. I adored Lovelight Farms when I read it last Christmas, and In the Weeds is even better! Evie and Beckett get their second chance at love, and I enjoyed their journey. Readers met Evie in the first book, as she was the social media influencer who highlighted Lovelight Farms at Christmastime. It was mentioned at that time that she and Beckett had had a steamy night together recently, which made for an awkward surprise reunion when she showed up at the farm. Just like that night in the hotel room, she disappeared on Beckett without a word after she had enough info for her piece on Lovelight Farms. In the Weeds begins with a flashback to that fateful one-night stand, where readers get all the juicy details of what happened between the two of them.

Spring has sprung in Inglewild, and I loved seeing the flowers bloom and tagging along on planting days on the farm. I’m happy to report that Beckett’s adorable kittens are still babies who rule the farm and have Beckett whipped. I fell in love with this broody farmer in the first book. There’s just something about a man who loves to rescue animals, and I suggest you prepare to melt over a sweet little duckling in this book. I enjoyed getting to know Beckett more, and I loved Evie as well! Evie is experiencing some major burnout with her job and is feeling a little lost in her life. When her assistant asks her to name the last place she felt truly happy, Lovelight Farms immediately flashed across her mind. So, of course, she returns… not really knowing why. She and Beckett run into each other right when she arrives and finds out there’s no place in the entire town for her to stay and Beckett, being the gentleman that he is, offers her one of the spare rooms in his house. She moves into his house and back into his heart. There’s so many feelings between these two, my goodness. The romance in this story feels so real and raw. It is a very slow burn, dripping with angst and I loved it. They both have a lot to work through personally, as well as together. Their nights drinking tea together on his porch, their mornings skirting feelings around the kitchen, and their not-so-secret longing for one another was delicious. I just loved watching them work through their emotions and their feelings.

Inglewild is the most amazing town. The gossip phone tree, activated when anything interesting happens, made me giggle. The supporting characters, some of whom are instrumental in getting these two together, warmed my heart. Everyone is ready, willing, and eager to lend a helping hand whenever needed, whether it be to offer baking advice or help warm someone up who fell in a freezing lake. I loved seeing Stella and Luka again, as well as Layla. These three, plus Beckett, own Lovelight Farms together and I love this supportive found family of friends. If one of them is out stress digging in the fields in the middle of the night, the rest of them will climb out of bed and bring shovels and coffee to dig together in silence. If someone is camped out on the floor of their kitchen feeling sad, at least one of them is bound to show up and sit on the floor with them. The friendships in this series make my heart ache in the best possible way.

As with the first book, I love B.K. Borison’s writing. Her descriptions of the scenery and the goings on at the farm made me feel like I was there. She writes the best love stories and characters you’re sure to fall in love with. I’ve already read the next book in this series because I could not pull myself away from this cozy world she’s created. I’d like to stay here forever!


How to Be a Wallflower by Eloisa James | Book Review

Posted July 20, 2023 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 0 Comments

How to Be a Wallflower by Eloisa James | Book ReviewHow to Be a Wallflower by Eloisa James
Series: Would-Be Wallflowers #1
Published by Avon on March 29, 2022
Genres: Historical Romance, Romance
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Miss Cleopatra Lewis is about to be launched in society by her aristocratic grandfather. But since she has no intention of marrying, she visits a costume emporium specifically to order unflattering dresses guaranteed to put off any prospective suitors.

Powerful and charismatic Jacob Astor Addison is in London, acquiring businesses to add to his theatrical holdings in America—as well as buying an emerald for a young lady back in Boston. He's furious when a she-devil masquerading as an English lady steals Quimby's Costume Emporium from under his nose.

Jake strikes a devil's bargain, offering to design her “wallflower wardrobe” and giving Cleo the chance to design his. Cleo can't resist the fun of clothing the rough-hewn American in feathers and flowers. And somehow in the middle of their lively competition, Jake becomes her closest friend.

It isn't until Cleo becomes the toast of all society that Jake realizes she's stolen his fiercely guarded heart. But unlike the noblemen at her feet, he doesn't belong in her refined and cultured world.

Caught between the demands of honor and desire, Jake would give up everything to be with the woman he loves—if she'll have him!

Historical romance might just be my favorite genre, which is so surprising to me! I loved it as a teen, and it was actually my first adult romance genre so maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised! I’ve been discovering a lot of new-to-me authors in this genre over the last year, and this year I’m rediscovering Eloisa James. I read a fairytale retelling of hers a couple years ago and enjoyed it, but I never picked up anything else by her until I received How to Be A Wallflower for review. I was looking for more books for lovers of Lisa Kleypas and fell down a bit of a rabbit hole that led to me finding out that Eloisa and Lisa are friends, and that they love each other’s writing! That got me even more excited to jump back in to Eloisa’s titles and I’m so glad I did! Right after I finished this one I read another one of hers, and both were so much fun! I’m hopeful I’ve found another author to love! As always, my main points are bolded.

1. Right off the bat I knew I’d like Cleo. She’s a spicy spitfire, and I loved watching her put people in their place. I loved her personality. Not every lady would take pride in being the owner of a company that makes commodes (toilets), but she does! Her mother pushed the boundaries of society and lived her best life, and Cleo is following in her footsteps now. She doesn’t care that she doesn’t fit in, she just owns who she is and loves herself. She has no interest in settling down with a man and handing everything she’s worked for over to him, so she sets out to become a wallflower–someone no man would pay any attention to. She designs the most unattractive wardrobe for herself and is ready to blend in while she joins her grandfather in London. But no, she will pay for her own lodging because she’s an independent woman. She’s reluctant to start a relationship with Jake because her mom couldn’t commit to just one man and Cleo doesn’t want to hurt him. I loved this unconventional role reversal, and I just loved her!

2. Jacob Astor Addison, rugged American businessman, wants to buy a clothing shop and take it to America to change the world of theater. I loved Jake, too. He’s so burly and strong and he won a fight with a bear, for crying out loud. An actual bear in the wild. He falls very quickly, and boy does he have it bad for Cleo. Like so, so bad. He loves her so much that he’s willing to parade about London in the brightest colors and the boldest prints because she helped design his wardrobe for him. He insists on moving to her floor at the hotel she’s staying at so he can make sure she’s safe (since she lives there alone). And yes, he rents out the entire floor so it’s just the two of them. In their own suites. He befriends her grandpa. He worms his way right into her heart and patiently allows her to fall a little, back away, fall a little more, get scared, and ultimately fall head over heels, all on her own time.

3. I loved the friendship these two form on their way to love. They sit around and have stimulating conversations over meals. The banter is amazing. They are such wonderful communicators, and we know how that makes me soar. They’re both so open with their fears and emotions and wants, and they get to know one another on a very deep level. It just felt like this romance was built on a stronger foundation than many others in this genre.

4. The romance is just amazing. The pining on his part, and the trepidation on her part. The things he thinks about her and says to her face had me swooning. I loved that Jake let Cleo drive the romance at her own speed. They kissed when she wanted it. They did… *ahem* other things on her terms. He respects her feelings and her wishes, and is such a flirty cinnamon roll gentleman that he left me weak in the knees. The story is just so romantic.

5. The entire story is very sweet and low stakes, which was so refreshing. There was little to no angst, no big miscommunications or misunderstandings, no villains. Just two people working their way to each other.

6. I loved the supporting characters. All of them. 

7. The humor! Perhaps parts of this story are a little outlandish and unbelievable, but I didn’t care! I loved the humor, and had so much fun reading this.

All in all, I highly recommend this book and am excited to continue with the series! I took a little detour and went to an older release, My American Duchess, because I heard it’s the love story of Jake’s best friend, Merry. I loved her so much in this book that I absolutely had to go read her story. It was amazing, and my review should be up in the next few weeks! I can’t wait to read more from Eloisa James!


You, with a View by Jessica Joyce | Book Review

Posted July 14, 2023 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 3 Comments

You, with a View by Jessica Joyce | Book ReviewYou, With a View by Jessica Joyce
Published by Berkley on July 11, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 352
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Two high school enemies must reunite for a road trip inspired by their grandparents’ broken engagement in this electric debut romance.

Noelle Shepherd is unemployed, living with her parents, and grieving the loss of her beloved grandmother when she discovers decades-old photos of Gram and a smitten man, tucked alongside a love letter. She creates a TikTok to search for the mystery man, which goes viral, and she’s shocked when his grandson responds—a man who happens to be her high school nemesis, Theo Spencer.

Noelle refuses to let Theo’s annoying accomplishments in adulthood—or his sexy smirk—stand in the way of meeting his grandfather and unlocking the secrets he knew about her gram as a young woman. When she learns that their plans to elope were thwarted, Noelle decides to take the honeymoon road trip they planned but never got to carry out. There’s a catch, though: Paul, Theo’s grandfather, asks to come with her, and he insists that Theo join them.

It’ll be a miracle if they make it through the trip without Noelle throwing Theo out of the moving car—or the bed they end up sharing. As the miles tick by, the tension simmers hotter between them…until she discovers that Theo’s hiding a secret that could cause their tenuous relationship to end before it can restart.

I’ve been very excited for Jessica Joyce’s debut ever since I found her on Twitter and thought she was hilarious. Seriously, she is so much fun to follow. And I have her to thank for my love of Lisa Kleypas, as she forced me to read the Ravenels and then I binged nearly everything Lisa wrote right after. I almost didn’t even write this review because I like the author so much and would never want to hurt feelings, but I just didn’t enjoy this book. There are parts of it I loved, but I came away from it all with a general sense of not liking it. This makes me so sad. But, since I received this for review I feel I need to share my thoughts.

What I loved:
– Grandpa Paul. I love him so, so much. He completely stole my heart and I read this book for him. I miss my grandpa a lot, so I kind of adopted this one as my own. I think he is the sweetest, most adorable, most heartwarming character I’ve ever read about.
– I loved the relationship between Grandpa Paul and Theo. So, so sweet.
– I loved the story of Grandpa Paul and Kat, Noelle’s grandmother. I loved reading about their romance and the times they shared together. The memories warmed my heart. I loved the idea of incorporating their story into this book, and centering a road trip around the honeymoon Kat and Paul planned to go on together. I’m sad they never got to, and instead went their separate ways.
– I loved the idea of Noelle and Theo coming together to take Grandpa Paul on this trip and then falling in love along the way. I loved the idea of the grandkids ending up together through learning about their grandparents. What a special, magical idea!
– I loved all the photography love, and how the author was able to put into words how much an artist falls in love with their craft.
– I loved the found family aspects of this book, and the way that Grandpa Paul essentially adopted Noelle. He stayed strong for her through her mourning, even though I’m sure it hurt him to know Kat was gone, too. It made me teary to think of him embracing Noelle even though she was born because his first love married someone else. The fact that he could process all of this and come out with only smiles and love made me love him even more.

What I didn’t love:
– Ok, why is there a cell phone camera on the cover? This book is about documenting a special trip through photos and videos, and includes one professional photographer and one who hopes to become one. Why the heck is an iPhone on the cover? It should be one of the professional cameras they take on the trip!
– I didn’t like that the main trope in this is enemies to lovers. When you’re dealing with loss and grief, I don’t also want to deal with the opposition that comes with this trope. There’s a lot of bickering, which we all know gets on my nerves quickly. Friends to lovers or second chance would have been so much better. Or even just let Noelle and Theo meet up for the first time and discover that they’re connected by their grandparents. Even meeting on an online dating site would have been better than this.
– I can’t say that I really liked Noelle or Theo, both individually and together. Even though they’re nearly 30 years old, they act like teenagers with not a lot of depth to them.
– Noelle and Theo didn’t really have the deep, emotional connection that I wanted. There’s not much development of their relationship in the present day. They knew and hated each other ten years ago. Why is that enough of a foundation to build a relationship on when so much has changed since then? There was no build-up or excitement. How do we go from bickering like teenagers to falling in love? It was all physical for them. They’d rather use their stolen moments while Paul is sleeping to be physically intimate than emotionally intimate, and it didn’t work for me. This trip is emotional for Noelle. She’s going through a lot. She’s vulnerable, and I wanted them to spend more time talking than having sex. To me it felt like Noelle was more interested in feeling good in the moment than in developing real feelings for Theo, and is seemed like Theo wanted to make her feel good physically because he didn’t want to take the time to help her process her grief. I know people grieve and fall in love differently, but this isn’t romance to me. I was never swooning or swept off my feet.
– Honestly, I would have preferred to read about Paul’s story with Kat through his own storytelling and flashbacks (or just take me there in real time) than to see it as a backdrop to Noelle’s and Theo’s story. When you compare the two, his story is just so much better and feels more real to me than theirs feels.
– Maybe it’s the travel bug in me, but I wanted more road trip details. I wanted more location descriptions, more info on the things they saw and did, etc. I wanted to be immersed in the settings.
– There actually isn’t much of a plot. We’ve got letters between Paul and Kathleen and we’ve got sex scenes. There’s nothing to really hold on to when the book is over.

So there you have it. I loved the idea of this story, but the execution just didn’t work for me in the end. Grandpa Paul saved everything and kept me reading because his character was a balm for my heart that I didn’t know I needed. I’ll probably always remember him. The rest of this book, not so much.


Ciao For Now by Kate Bromley | Book Review

Posted June 8, 2023 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 1 Comment

Ciao For Now by Kate Bromley | Book ReviewCiao for Now by Kate Bromley
Published by Graydon House on June 6, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 320
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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When an American interning at a fashion house in Rome butts heads with her professor's surly son, sparks fly!

With her thirties rapidly approaching and a mountain of student debt looming over her, Violet Luciano’s dream of finishing design school and working in fashion has cost her everything. So when she lands an internship at an up-and-coming fashion brand in Rome, she brings her A game to Italy. With nothing left to lose, Violet plans to win the competition among the interns for the ultimate prize—a job at a New York label.

But when a coffee run goes wrong and Violet accidentally destroys a stranger’s laptop, all of the apology Americanos in the world won’t help her. Because it turns out that the man from the café is Matteo, her professor’s eternally grumpy son, who thinks she’s a clumsy American…and maybe a stalker. Their animosity (and undeniable chemistry) grows as together they’re forced to face a summer of chic parties, adventures through Rome and sharing a home…with the person they can’t stand the most.

The more time she spends with him, the more distracted she finds herself. With her chance to win the competition slipping out of her grasp, Violet has to decide whether to say ciao to Matteo—or ciao to her dreams.

I loooooove books set in Italy, so when I saw the title of Ciao for Now my eyebrows immediately shot up and I was interested. I loved the idea of a fashion intern falling for her boss’s grumpy son, and I also really liked the idea of an almost-30-year-old college student. Most college romances involve characters in their early twenties (or maybe 18/19), so I was excited to meet Violet. Ciao for Now also has multiple tropes that I love: grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, and a mild enemies to lovers (just how I like it). While there were a few things that prevented this book from being a brand new favorite of mine, I did enjoy many parts of it and ultimately enjoyed my reading experience. I had so much fun walking the streets of Rome and riding the waves in Capri.

1. Right off the bat, I knew I was going to simply adore Violet’s best friend, Marco. He is a shining, shimmering sunbeam and I could not get enough of him. He’s one of the three interns in this design competition, and I would have been happy if there was no romance at all and the story just focused on him and his friendship with Violet. His snark and humor and personality shot off the page and into my heart, and he was definitely the most dynamic and interesting person in this book. I need a best friend named Marco.

2. Marco and Violet arrive in Rome together and almost immediately Matt enters the scene with one of the cutest and most embarrassing meet-cutes I’ve read. I seriously had so much second-hand embarrassment for Violet, who stumbles and ultimately destroys Matt’s laptop in a cafe. They sit and chat for a while, and the banter was off the charts. My grin was as huge as Marco’s as I read the interactions between Violet and Matt. It was so electric and exciting. Shortly after this unfortunate (yet delightful) encounter, we discover that Matt is the son of Violet’s boss and they will be living in the same house for the entirety of Violet’s one-month stay in Italy. Neither one of them is very happy about it.

3. After the initial meet-cute, though, Violet’s and Matt’s chemistry fizzled and I never got fully back on board with the two of them. What started out as exciting and sexy kind of spiraled down into… well, not much of anything. They really just don’t like each other and I never understood why. Did they not like each other just so the book could be marketed as the ever popular enemies-to-lovers trope? I mean yes, Violet accidentally destroyed his laptop and he lost a lot of his work (he’s a writer for a popular sexy space TV show) but he never gets mad at her for it. He’s actually way nicer than anyone would expect. Because he was so nice, Violet has no reason to hate him. She caused all the problems and he was nice about it. lol. I actually had no idea this was supposed to be enemies-to-lovers. I thought they left the cafe happy to have met, and I assumed they would be happy to run into each other again. This mutual hatred came out of nowhere for me.

4. While Violet and Matt do have some great moments together and some really fun banter, I didn’t feel like the romance was strong enough. These two also seem much younger than the 29 (Violet) and 32 (Matt), neither one of them acted mature enough to convince me they were the ages they were supposed to be. Violet in particular grated on my nerves. Yes, she’s going through a growing phase in her life but she just came off as selfish and immature. We learn about Matt’s past, which I think was supposed to add depth to his character and explain why he’s so surly, but I didn’t buy it. I think their lack of maturity made the inevitable third-act break-up much more dramatic than it needed to be.

5. BUT. I loved the friendships in this book, and that’s what propelled my reading forward. I’ve already mentioned Marco, but there’s also Holly, the third intern. I really liked her, and she gets a cute little side romance that I found myself wishing was the main romance because she is so likeable and the guy is pretty swoony. Violet also becomes close friends with Mina, an employee at the design firm. Mina introduces her to a group of other women who work in fashion, and they have the coolest support system and friendship. Then there’s the woman who own the fabric shop down the street, who has so much wisdom and gives great advice. And Violet’s boss was amazing! She’s like the opposite of Miranda Priestly, with her brightly colored flowing dresses, her bubbly enthusiasm, and her propensity to rain showers of compliments and affection down on everyone around her. Ciao for Now has the strongest cast of secondary characters ever–possibly the strongest cast I’ve ever read about. 

6. Italy delivered for me. I loved when the characters were sightseeing, and found it to be so much more entertaining than all the fashion talk. Violet, Marco, and Holly take the city by storm for an assignment and visit so many touristy spots in Rome that I’ve been to, so I could picture everything in my mind so perfectly. Violet and Matt go on a weekend trip to Capri and stay in what sounds like the most magical oceanfront hotel in existence. I loved the descriptions of all the scenery and the things they did. The characters spend time walking the streets and sitting on the balcony working in the evenings. I loved these parts of the story the most.

So all in all, I enjoyed Ciao for Now! I really think my only problem with it was that I didn’t like the two main characters, so the romance didn’t work for me. Sometimes I skimmed their long discussions because I didn’t care about them. But I loved the secondary characters so much that I felt so many happy feelings while reading. Kate Bromley did such a great job with the cast of characters and their friendships and banter and love for one another, and she did such an amazing job writing about Italy that I didn’t even care that the main characters and their journey to find love didn’t work for me. And honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever been able to say that before. So I’m surprised and happy to say I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a kind of Devil Wears Prada-esque fashion story set in Italy, with a slew of characters to fall in love with.


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!