Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Review: Well Played by Jen DeLuca


Another 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.

Christy's Review:


It all started with a necklace.

After reading (and loving) 'Well Met' last year, I was so excited to get to Well Played. I liked Stacey a lot and couldn't wait to get her story. Though I didn't love this one quite as much as the first, it was still a great read! 

If you've read 'Well Met' you remember Emily's friend and fellow tavern wench, Stacey. Stacey is still in the same small town she grew up in, even though she had dreams to work in fashion in the big city. Due to some family things, life took her in a different direction and she's mostly content. Mostly. She lives for the Renaissance Festival her small town puts on every summer. It's her favorite time of year. And for the last two years, she's had a casual thing with of the guys that travels from faire to faire. 

After the season is over she decides to message the guy. This turns into almost an entire year of texting and emailing. Stacey is smitten. And she's counting down the days until she sees her old hookup, now friend in person. Only things don't go exactly as expected when they meet again for the first time. And that's all I'll say about that ;) 

The hero of this book was great. So sweet and soft and I adored him. I liked Stacey a lot too and I think her story and path in life could be relatable to a lot of women. By the end, I was shouting 'you go girl' to her! This book made me so nostalgic for my Ren Faire days (this year is canceled in Ohio d/t Covid...) and I love all the scenes that take place there. I absolutely love the setting of these books and I can't wait for the next one in the series (Mitch and April- gah! Give me!!) 

If you're looking for a sweet, steamy, and fun read check this one out. It does have some pretty blatant (view spoiler) going on, but for some reason it didn't bother me much. I enjoyed the heck out of this one and I'm looking forward to reading more from Jen DeLuca! 

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