Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Well Met



Well Met by [DeLuca, Jen]
















Well Met- Jen DeLuca
Berkley/Penguin Group
Release Date: September 3, 2019

Rating:
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Synopsis: 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.

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Emily was in a rough place in her life and completely ready to drop everything and move to a small town in Maryland to help her older sister when she had a car accident that put her out of commission for a few months.  Driving to appointments, chauffeuring her teenage niece Caite around, no problem. Emily (like so many of us) is way more comfortable fixing someone else's life than her own.  Then she gets roped into volunteering with Caite at the town's annual Renaissance Faire and meets English teacher Simon.  Simon sees the Faire as his brother's legacy and believes he's the only one who can run things the way they need to go.  So Emily's relaxed approach to life and wenching don't go over well with him- which reminds her too much of her jerk ex-fiancΓ©.  They seem to clash every time they meet: until the Faire is on.  Because Simon's sexy pirate and Emily's tavern wench hit things off a lot better than their mundane counterparts.  Can Faire and real life mix into a happily ever after or is this a well met summer fling that will end when summer is over?

Debut author Jen DeLuca gives readers a romance that is both familiar and fresh.  Emily and Simon can't seem to get along, always say the wrong things, and poor first impressions make it look like it's going to be a long summer for them both.  Using the Renaissance Faire as the way for the two to get to know each other in new ways is a great twist and tons of fun.  DeLuca's own Faire experiences come through loud and clear and whisks readers into a weekend world where suddenly far more is possible than in mundane life.  Emily, who has always felt like an outsider, slowly becomes a part of the Faire world and through the Faire she becomes a part of small Willow Creek town life.  She's friendly and caring, always willing to do what she can to help others, always putting others first.  At the same time she feels like the odd one out, who others let do things for them but forget as soon as she isn't needed.  Her jerk ex-fiancΓ© used her and left her wondering if she deserves to come first in anyone's life- from family to friends to herself.  It's wonderful watching Em begin to regain the confidence she must have once had and grow into herself over the course of the book.  

Simon is a little harder to get to know because Well Met is told through Emily's point of view, so we only see him through her eyes.  But she's not too proud to admit when she starts to see beneath Simon's surface and who he could be if he gives himself the chance. Simon has lived in his older brother's shadow all his life and now Sean is gone and Simon has to figure out what happens next for him.  Like Em, the reader can't help but be attracted to Simon's pirate alter-ego during the Faire, and you can't help but be thrilled when she gives the growing chemistry between them a chance. 

Deluca thrills is this wonderful romantic debut, full of sparkling, snarky dialogue; delightful, laugh out loud  humor; delicious chemistry; and two main characters you're cheering for each step of the way as they find themselves behind the shadows of uncertainty and the expectations of others.  Well Met is a definite must read for fans of romantic comedy like Christina Lauren and Janet Evanovich and is a book that's probably going to become one of my staple, feel good rereads. DeLuca has set a high bar for her future books- I can't wait to see what she brings us next! 


I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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