Well Met by Jen DeLuca was a fantastic debut novel, full of romance, laughs and a little bit of an emotional journey

Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links. That means we receive a small commission at no cost to you from any purchases you make through these links.

Emily has come to the small town of Willow Creek to help her big sister out after she has been in a car accident. And, it’s not like she has a lot to leave behind. Her boyfriend has just dumped her and she had suddenly found herself homeless and single at the same time. But, who knew helping out her sister and niece would involve volunteering for the Renaissance Faire? Now, she finds herself dressed as a wench and trading barbs with the annoyingly uptight Simon. Or flirting with his Ren Faire alter ego, the charming and seductive pirate. But as the summer goes on, it gets harder to tell what’s real and what’s for show…

An enemies to lovers romance that takes place at a Renaissance Faire…ummmm yes please! Add the fact the hero was kind of uptight and quiet, or at least he was at first, and I was a goner. Well Met was a fantastic debut novel, full of romance, laughs and a little bit of an emotional journey. Was it perfect? No, but if you’re after a light hearted rom com with a unique setting you won’t go wrong picking this one up.

Where this book excelled was the build up of the relationship between Emily and Simon, their verbal sparring was a lot of fun, as was their flirting when they were in ‘character’ for the Ren faire. I also enjoyed some of the parallels to Pride & Prejudice; Emily with her prejudice and Simon with his pride. It was a very much a classic love story in that sense. However, where the book ran into trouble was the relationship once they were actually together. It didn’t quite feel real. They spent too much time interacting with each other through their Ren Faire characters and not enough as just Simon and Emily. Subsequently, when they were avowing love for one another it felt forced and not entirely authentic.

In some ways, I feel like this book would have done better written more like women’s fiction. I really enjoyed Emily’s journey; reconnecting with her older sister, forging a relationship with her niece, finding herself a niche in the small town she finds herself living in. If the focus had been the culmination of Emily’s journey rather than a HEA with Simon, the fairly superficial nature of their relationship may not have been such an issue as it would have just another aspect of her story rather than the focal point of it.

However, that didn’t stop this book from being a lot of fun. Jen DeLuca is definitely an author to look out for in the future and I plan on picking up whatever she brings out next

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