Series: Well Met, Book 2
Publisher: Berkley
ISBN: 9781984805409
Release Date: September 22, 2020
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible
A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy featuring kilted musicians, Renaissance Faire tavern wenches, and an unlikely love story.
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.
The Willow Creek Renaissance Faire and its lively cast of characters are back in Well Played. I adored the Ren Faire world author Jen DeLuca brought to life in Well Met and there is no sophomore slump in this series. Stacey’s story is bright and fun, but also grabbed my heart at unexpected moments.
Stacey loves her family, her friends, and the faire, but lately that’s not enough to satisfy her. Her friends getting married, having children, and generally moving forward in their lives makes her realize how stagnant her own life has become. She feels stuck and a bit down, which is something I think many readers, myself included, can sympathize with. But she also doesn’t know how to take that leap into something that will create change. I adored Stacey for her kind nature and generous smile, but also for her secret vulnerabilities.
One night – when alcohol and melancholy don’t mix – she takes a chance and messages Dex MacLean, her faire fling of the past few years. She opens up to Dex and his reply is nothing like she would expect from the sexy but shallow musician. And the more she and Dex text and email over the months, the closer they come. Only when faire time rolls around, Stacey learns that the man she’s falling for isn’t Dex at all. I think her hero is obvious from the start, but since the blurb leaves it a surprise I won’t be the one to spoil it. I will say that I loved not-Dex. The hero of Well Played is unquestionably wrong by not telling Stacey from the start who he is. However, like Stacey I found it fairly easy to forgive him. He’s a sweet hero who is quietly sexy…basically the opposite of Dex. I adored watching he and Stacey fall in love through letters and texts. The spark and the romance is there, quiet, steady, and true in a way that made me smile over and over. And I really enjoyed their relationship becoming real once the truth came out and all masks were dropped.
Well Played can easily be read as a standalone (if you don’t mind some spoilers from Well Met). However, part of the joy of this book is seeing Emily and Simon’s happily ever through Stacey’s eyes as her friends plan their Ren Faire wedding. And don’t think there aren’t teasing glimpses at a future Well Met couple that made me curse the wait for their story. All in all, I adored Well Played. The ups and downs in Stacey’s life and her burgeoning romance with her marshmallow heart hero had me hooked, life at the faire made me smile, and I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. DeLuca’s writing.
FTC 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.
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