Review: Well Met (Well Met #1)

Title: Well Met (Well Met #1)
Author: Jen DeLuca
Genre: Fiction, Romance
Publisher: Berkley
Source: Publisher
Format: Paperback
Release Date: September 3, 2019
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

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. 

Review:

This was a super fun romantic comedy!

The Renaissance Faire was a great setting for this novel. It was an isolated event in the town where the characters performed for the whole summer. It was as if the characters travelled back in time to the 1600s, while staying in modern times. It made for some fun situations, such as a spontaneous handfasting ceremony and jousting tournaments.

I loved all the literary references in this book. Emily and Simon discussed Shakespeare a lot, including the theory that multiple different people actually wrote his plays, rather than one person. This was relevant to the plot, since the Renaissance Faire was set during Shakespeare’s lifetime.

I really enjoyed this story! I’m excited to see what happens in the sequel next year.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Have you read Well Met? What did you think of it?