Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca

Louisa Malone, also known as Lulu to her cousin Mitch, is trying to live up to her mother's expectations. But it appears that the partners of her law firm are never going to promoter, not while they're still bringing in young men. So Lulu, who makes this realization while at a Ren Faire, decides to quit her job and join the faire. Luckily, one of the people in the fair knows her cousin Mitch so she's able to travel with them and take some time out of her life.

This book leans much more heavily on Lulu's self-discovery than the romance. Lulu does find true love with Dex, who we met in earlier books though you do not need to have read them in order to enjoy this one. I was surprised that I didn't miss the romance more but DeLuca does a nice job of showing Lulu's own growth and I didn't even notice it until the end when I wondered really how the two of them had gotten together since so much of the talking and connection was done off page. 

Four stars

This book comes out December 6, 2022

Follows Well Matched

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group

Opinions are my own

Well Matched by Jen DeLuca

In the first two books of this series, we met single mom April Parker who was a little bit of an introvert. We also met the kilted man, also known as high school coach Mitch Malone who is known for his hookups at the local bar. In this book, Mitch needs someone to go to a family function with him. Apparently his family doesn't believe that he is really grown up and he thinks that having a steady relationship (with a woman who is 9 years older) might force them to open their eyes. April isn't excited about it at first but then, she realizes that Mitch can help her fix up her house. Ever since she moved to town, she's been anxious to get away. She would have rather lived in a big city but she stayed so her daughter would have a community. But now her daughter is about to graduate and freedom is within her grasp. 

However, a weekend with one bed means that the sparks between April and Mitch are going to flame. But April has one foot out the door. And she's also dealing with the fact that her daughter's father, after eighteen years, has gotten in touch. How could her life possibly get more complicated

The flow of this story was fairly lovely but I felt like some things were either resolved too quickly or left unresolved. Still hope there's another in the series.

Four stars

This book comes out October 19, 2021

Follows Well Played

Followed by Well Traveled

ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group

Opinions are my own

Well Played by Jen DeLuca

Willow Creek is fine for a small town but Stacey always thought she'd leave. But it's been years since her mother had a nearly fatal heart attack bringing Stacey back. The highlight of her summers has been the local Ren faire and even there, she hasn't changed much since she started in as a teen. That is really brought home to her when her friends Emily and Simon get engaged and start planning the wedding. They are moving forward but Stacey is not. 
One evening after a little too much wine, Stacey emails her summer hookup seeing if there might be something more. He responds and the two are soon in an epistolary relationship. We still see everything from a third person omniscient side of Stacey as she starts to slowly fall for the person on the other end of her screen.
I loved that the potential Big Misunderstanding was cleared up early but didn't love that it was twisted in the end. Still, a good book and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

Three stars

This book came out September 22nd, 2020

Follows Well Met

Followed by Well Matched

Borrowed as an audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Well Met by Jen DeLuca

It's not like Emily WANTED to be a tavern wench in a small Ren faire in Maryland. But her niece won't be able to participate without an adult. And Emily is in town to help support her sister after she was in a car accident. So she steps in. She is doing a lot, keeping track of her niece's schedule and making sure her sister is getting to her appointments so really, the guy running the faire can just get off her back.
Simon just wants everything to run perfectly. His older brother started the faire and the family ties mean that he just wants to continue what his brother started. He can't understand why Emily can't seem to take anything seriously. She picks a faire name that is basically her own name. She jokes around about Shakespeare's legacy. She's on her phone almost every time they meet during prep time. They just can't stand to be around each other.
But then Emily's tavern wench character, Emma, gets an eyeful of Simon's pirate character and a different sort of sparks fly. Chemistry.
There was a Big Misunderstanding at the end but it was actually okay because at least they were talking to each other. Sometimes it took time for it to sink in but... they  were being adults. So nice.

Four stars

This book came out September 3rd, 2019

Followed by Well Played

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Reread as audiobook from Libby September 2023