Well Met by Jen DeLuca

Cover Art Courtesy of Goodreads

I've slowly been dipping my toe in the romance genre. I don't think I'll ever embrace full-fledged smut, but I've really been enjoying books in the same vein as Christina Lauren's standalone reads. When I saw this book as a BOTM choice, I decided to grab it, and I'm very glad I did! Well Met by Jen DeLuca is a contemporary romance centered around a renaissance faire, and it was so fun from start to finish.

When Emily moves to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland to help her sister and niece after an accident, she has no idea what she is in for. After being roped into participating in the local renaissance faire, she starts making friends and really connecting with the residents of her temporary home...except for one. Simon is mean, nasty, and condescending. He takes the faire way too seriously, making Emily feel bad about everything she does. But when he puts on his pirate costume each weekend, a new Simon comes out, and maybe Emily had her initial opinion of him all wrong. Could there be something more there, and could Willow Creek be more than just a temporary stop for her after all?

I loved this for so many reasons! We go to a renaissance faire every fall in Maryland (which is actually the big faire they reference in the story!) and my dress is blue, just like Emily's. This had the enemies to lovers trope which I really enjoy, but it had some great side plots as well. I laughed out loud on numerous occasions and was really rooting for Emily's happiness. I really enjoyed all the minor characters in this book as well, and loved seeing the supportive cast that Emily had around her (even though her sister did annoy me a little bit). This was a very fast read, and I devoured it in just a few hours. There were a few raunchy scenes, but nothing offensively explicit, and they were far from the focus of the book. 

This was Jen DeLuca's first novel, but I will definitely be picking up anything else she puts out. Plus, she is originally from Richmond, VA which is where I'm based! This was an adorable book, and the perfect story to round out a great summer of reading.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars