ARC Review: Well Met by Jen DeLuca

Well Met
Author: Jen DeLuca
Publication: Berkley (September 3, 2019)

Description: All's faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author Jen DeLuca.

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.

My Thoughts: Emily has moved to Willow Creek, Maryland, to take care of her sister and niece who were in a major car accident. She could do this because her life took a bad turn when the fiance she quit college for to put him through law school has decided that an up-and-coming lawyer doesn't need to be hooked up with a college dropout. Emily is feeling both betrayed and adrift since all of her plans for the future were derailed.

Emily is between the ages of her fourteen-year-old niece and her thirty-eight year old sister at just coming up on twenty-five. She really doesn't know her sister very well because of the large age difference but she is eager to help. That's her personality. She sees a problem and wants to fix it.

When her niece wants to be part of the summer Renaissance Faire in her town, she needs an adult to volunteer with her. Emily volunteers and finds herself filling the role of a wench at the only tavern in the faire. Besides her niece's need, Emily is intrigued by Mitch who is well-muscled and spends the faire in a kilt. She is less than intrigued with Simon who is one of the organizers of the faire. She finds him rigid and humorless.

It takes the whole summer and quite a few misunderstandings before she finds the right guy and the right future for herself. I loved the banter between the characters. I loved the Renaissance Faire setting. The romance was slow-building but heated up nicely.

Favorite Quote:

"Why do you want to see happy couples? I'm still in the ice cream and brownies and booze phase of my breakup, you know. This could set me back weeks."

"Ah, the holy trinity of heartache." She grinned at me over her shoulder. "Shut up and come on."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.