Jen DeLuca

An accidentally in-love rom-com filled with Renaissance Faire flower crowns, kilts, corsets, and sword fights. Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she's decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell. Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire--a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she'll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more "serious" career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what's real and what's been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship. As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch's family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch's girlfriend again...something that doesn't feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they've just been putting on an act. But when there's the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans--and open her heart--for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.

Well Matched

Mariane Ferrantino 

You thirsty? I'm thirsty. That was an understatement and I shoved the phone back into Mitch's hands before standing up. 

A pretend relationship gives two friends more than they bargained for in a Renaissance Faire rom com filled with flower crowns, kilts, corsets, and sword fights. Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she’s decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell. Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire—a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she'll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more “serious” career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what's real and what's been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship. As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch's family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch's girlfriend again...and it doesn't feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they’ve just been putting on an act. But when there’s the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans—and open her heart—for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.

Annie Beth

This might have been my favorite of the series so far!! 

Brittany Peterson

Sarah Sammis

For April it begins near the end of her daughter's senior year. She has plans to spruce up her house, sell it, and move to a bigger city. She wrangles help from Mitch, the high school P.E. teacher and coach, only to have him ask her to be his pretend girl friend at a family weekend.

Mitch is closer to Emily's age than April. She has a hard time taking his plan seriously but she goes along with it. Mitch, despite the age gap, is everything her ex-husband never was: kind, considerate, a decent human being. He also seems to be as into her as she is in him.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2023/comm...

Yasmin Dunnewind

Definitely the best book out of the series. But why do writers feel that painting walls in someone's eye color is romantic and not freakishly weird.

No one’s ever ready. For any of those big changes that life throws at you. You just have to meet them head-on and do your best. It’s okay to be scared a little. If we all waited till we were ready, we’d never do anything

It’s official - I love Willow Creek and its local renaissance faire and its cast of characters.

Rachael Bahr

Petaco

Gillian Rose

April and Mitch's love story did NOT disappoint. I really loved the whole book with exploring April's anxiety and even getting a deeper look into Mitch. I've always loved the himbo, but seeing how his family treats him was relatable. I truly love this Ren Faire universe and never want to leave!!

In Well Played, I really loved the scene of Emily and Simon's wedding,  and seeing April feature in more of a friendship role made me excited to see her feature in her own spinoff. April and Mitch!!! The age difference!! The single mom!! The kilt!!

This book was solid, and did not disappoint. Mitch is a himbo and we love him. I loved April & Mitch's dynamic, as well as the core storyline with April's daughter. And a renfaire makeover scene is always welcome. <3

I did find it weird that 49% thru we got the FIRST mention of Stacey. 🤷‍♀️ It dragged a little bit in the middle with weak reasons to keep up the Fake Dating farce — but then, I also really appreciate how the conflict is written. April’s reasons for being afraid to dive into their relationship feel genuine, and not wholly based on misunderstandings (like in a lot of romcoms).

 main critique is that I wish there was MORE renfaire! :'D Haha, that seems to be my want for all of these books. But book 4 features Lulu and she quite literally (checks notes) runs away from her lawyer job to join the renfaire?? Sign me UP.

Overall, I enjoyed this more than Well Played (sorry Stacey, I still love you!!), so if you enjoyed Well Met but couldn't get into the sequel, I suggest jumping to this volume.

Caroline Clutterbuck Kapulkin

In Well Played, I really loved the scene of Emily and Simon's wedding,  and seeing April feature in more of a friendship role made me excited to see her feature in her own spinoff. April and Mitch!!! The age difference!! The single mom!! The kilt!!

This book was solid, and did not disappoint. Mitch is a himbo and we love him. I loved April & Mitch's dynamic, as well as the core storyline with April's daughter. And a renfaire makeover scene is always welcome. <3

I did find it weird that 49% thru we got the FIRST mention of Stacey. 🤷‍♀️ It dragged a little bit in the middle with weak reasons to keep up the Fake Dating farce — but then, I also really appreciate how the conflict is written. April’s reasons for being afraid to dive into their relationship feel genuine, and not wholly based on misunderstandings (like in a lot of romcoms).

My main critique is that I wish there was MORE renfaire! :'D Haha, that seems to be my want for all of these books. But book 4 features Lulu and she quite literally (checks notes) runs away from her lawyer job to join the renfaire?? Sign me UP.

Overall, I enjoyed this more than Well Played (sorry Stacey, I still love you!!), so if you enjoyed Well Met but couldn't get into the sequel, I suggest jumping to this volume.

Jennifer mitchell

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was cute enough, but not very memorable. It was a pretty easy read, only felt slow in a few parts, but it definitely wasn't a page turner.

Things I didn't like:
-The pacing of this book felt off. I really like the beginning and thought it was going to be a cute fake dating trope book, but that only lasted for like 50% of the story.
-Unnecessary plotlines. The returning dad plot seemed like it was going to be a big deal for the story overall and it just kind of disappeared out of nowhere. It was an unnecessary and distracting plot and I think the story would have been stronger overall without it.
-Stubbornness of the characters. Listen, I get that the characters are going to be a little stubborn and not think that their feelings were real a little. BUT, it was so dragged out in this story that it was just frustrating by the end when they finally did wake up and realize everything was real. It felt unnaturally dragged out just for the sake of added angst.

Things I liked:
-The tropes were superior! We had fake dating, forced proximity, "there's only one bed" all in one story. All of my favorite tropes combined and I loved reading about it, I just wish those tropes carried through the entire story, instead of only half the book.
-I really liked how this story was about older characters. The main female character is 40, and the main guy is 31. It was nice to read about a relationship between actual adults, instead of the normal new adult, college aged romances I typically read.
-I really loved reading about April's relationship with her daughter and watching her send her off to college. It reminded me of my mom dropping me off at college.

Overall:
My main issue with this book was the pacing. It started out strong but the characters got together too quickly and it felt like there was nowhere else for the story to go. But overall it was a cute story that was easy to get through. Definitely a fun, quick read.

this book was cute, sexy, and easy to read. it was a great way to start of the new year! it did randomly make me cry at one point so that was surprising. otherwise, it was your typical contemporary romance…but with kilts/renaissance fairs!

kels

What a little pocket of joy - I started this series at the recommendation of a friend of mine shortly after I went to a Ren Faire for the first time. Each new installment makes me want to run away and work at one. That’s gotta be a solid endorsement.

Jennifer Eggleston 

3.5 stars … Risk it for the Biscuit 

A older woman/ younger man story … like.
Fake relationship trope …win.
However April drove me crazy with being so closed off. Mitch was there … all in and she just would not. The way she acted at times I thought she had suffered from physical abuse and there was a startling secret she was holding back … nope. I do think she would have benefited from some therapy. 


Book has some steam heat (thank goodness).

Nicole Dykeman

Mitch is such an engaging personality in the first few books, and I was excited for him to get his happy ending. We were coasting at a solid 3 stars until the Ren Faire magic got to me again and automatically upped my rating to 4. The fake dating was great and all, but it's the setting that truly makes these books special for me, so that's when I really got sucked in. I really related to April struggling to find a place to belong. This is the first book in this series where I felt like the conflict was truly resolved by the end - we spend the entire novel in April's POV, and watching her slowly learn more about herself, step out of her comfort zone, and realize that she has a place in her small town. Plus all the Mitch goodness? How can I complain?

Aditi

Really boring. April and Mitch didn't have enough scenes together for me to root for them and whenever they were together it never felt like they were more than friends even when they're making out and such.

April was kinda annoying to me, with how irritated she was at the world in general which I completely get but she's quick to blame others and never really does anything about it. Until the end I guess but by then it was too little too late. Mitch's personality is all tell, no show. He really cares about the kids, gives back to his community blah blah I didn't care. 

I flew through this book but nothing significant happens and I felt detached from the story throughout. I didn't care about any of the conflict or their individual problems and most of the scenes felt like the author was checking things off a list. For eg, the scene where the one stands up for the other in front of their family and the like. None of it felt natural or important for these characters. 

Overall, I don't really have many good things to say about this one but at least it was a quick read.

Ashlee

After feeling as though we’ve been waiting since the first page of Well Met for April and Mitch’s story, I finally picked this one up!

Overall, it was better in some ways than the previous books, whereas other parts felt like they were missing a bit. On one hand, this book felt closer to Well Met than Well Played—I suspect because April is Emily’s sister and it reads more as a direct sequel to Well Met than Well Played was. On the other hand, a big thing that drew me to this series in the first place was the ren faire setting and I’m disappointed it took a back burner in this book. I know the faire was never really April’s cup of tea and I am so glad she does get out there and experience it in this book, but I feel like there was a missed opportunity to make it a bigger part of the story.

Don’t get me wrong, Mitch and April are so good together, and I adore both of them. The fake dating trope was fun and I love how “everyone sees it but you” played into the story. This truly is a solid four star read for me. 

However, I still felt like there was a few loose ends here and there. There should have been more resolution with April’s ex-husband and I felt as though there was something missing to the story with Mitch’s family. The point was to show them he’s not just another himbo but I didn’t see that it was really accomplished beyond “the ren faire is serious business” and April standing up for him at dinner. More groveling was needed for how shitty they’ve been to him over the years. 

I also found the writing to be a bit lazy at times. At one point April sees that Mitch is visibly uncomfortable with something she says, and this is specifically mentioned in her inner monologue, but when it comes up she acts shocked and as though she wasn’t anticipating there to be an issue. This happens a few times, and I was surprised it wasn’t caught in editing and revised a bit. 

Overall, this is a fast paced, swoony romance and you can bet Mitch brings all of the charm and compassion we’ve seen from his character in the previous books. He’s good for April, who can be a self deprecating and a victim of tunnel vision. They compliment each other so well and I’m really pleased with where the story leaves them.

More than anything, I really enjoyed Lulu’s character and am looking forward to her book next!

Laura Webster

This was such a perfect book! I loved it, and I cannot wait to read the next one!!

Emma Miller

A very cute and quick read! I have read Well Met (the first in this series) and thought it was also very cute. However, I did like April’s POV more than I enjoyed Emily’s. Probably because of my introverted nature relating more to April. I really loved Mitch in the first book so it was great to have him front and center in this book. That being said there was a little bit of “introverted people just need to be a little more extroverted” rhetoric that I didn’t love. Maybe that’s not fair as it’s more about being a part of your community and saying yes to the people you care about. It’s nuanced. I did like the theme of embracing the place and people you’re with though so it’s a mixed bag. Overall, a wholesome and sweet book that’s great for an afternoon.

Libby G

Single mom April has always planned on leaving the small town of Willow Creek after her daughter goes to college. And now she’s only a few months away from that dream becoming a reality. 

Of course, she gets roped into helping her friend, kilt wearing-heartthrob, Mitch by pretending to be his girlfriend. The longer they pretend they less it feels pretend and April starts to think that maybe Willow Creek might be home after all. 

Everything about this book was fantastic. Mitch was swoon-worthy, there were kilts, plenty of spice and a visit to the Willow Creek Ren Faire. This romance felt the most organic and believable of the three. And I loved watching April slowly open herself up. 

Shay

Well Matched is the third book in the series, and it is such a fun series. The series is centered around a Renaissance Festival in Willow Creek, MD! For any Simmers out there, every time I read one of these books, I can't help but picture Sim's Willow Creek with a Renaissance festival! Even though I love this series so much, I think this one fell flat for me, but I guess that is my fault because I had this book so hyped up in my head. This is the book I've been dying for since I read the first book! The first book follows Emily, which is April's younger sister. Emily is staying with April to help take care of the house and April's daughter while she is healing from a really bad leg injury. So the first book introduced us to this whole festival aspect, and the festival played a very big role in the first book, and I loved its quirkiness. Then the second book follows Stacey, Emily's first friend at the festival, and even then, we see her a lot in the first book. I wanted April's story because she is so anti-small towns and this festival, and she's supposed to fall for this guy who is so involved in this world, and I wanted to see more of her point of view. However, Stacey's story was really interesting, and I loved the catfish aspect. It became a really fun book, and it made me even more excited for this third installment since we are finally finding out just how April's story is supposed to happen. But I feel like the festival was just in the background, and I really missed it being the main focus like we had in the first two books. I get that this whole thing isn't April's scene, but the way the book progresses, I wish we had more of the festival! I think it is just a big part of this world and it just being thrown into the background was really disappointing. As for the whole relationship between April and Mitch, I think it was cute how it played out overall. I just wanted more from it. I think it was missing something that the first two books had, but I just can't put my hand on it. There is another book already scheduled to come out, and it is going to be about Lulu, Mitch's cousin. I'm nervous about it because Lulu has absolutely nothing to do with the Renaissance Festival, so I don't know what the festival is going to be played out in the book. I hope it comes back to being the main focal point in the first two books. 

Flavia Louise

Lynn Braden

April Parker is about to be on her own, finally, after years of working hard to raise her daughter, Caitlin, all by herself.  Once Caitlin goes away to college, April has plans to sell her house and move into the city closer to where she works, but her realtor has told her that her house needs some upgrades before it is ready to put on the market, so she strikes a deal with local playboy, Mitch Malone.  If he helps her stain her deck, she will agree to be his fake girlfriend at his family's reunion in order to get them off his back about settling down, but remaining cool headed is difficult with hunky Mitch, especially when, at the annual Renaissance Faire, he starts wearing those sexy kilts.

Well Matched is the third entry in the Well Met series, taking on the story of an older woman dating a much younger man.  April's character is well developed as we see her struggling with the life at 40.  Much of that struggle could be described as women's fiction, especially since Mitch's character is not as well delineated, but the romance plays an important emotional role as the story builds to its climax.  Overall, Well Matched is a fun story with some poignant moments and a very satisfying conclusion. 

Simone Laszuk

Esther

considering the "Be quiet, Kilty" vibes we got in Well Met and Well Played i'd thought there'd be way more banter, none the less a super cute and sweet read

Linda Quintanilla

Well Matched brought me out of my reading slump. After reading addictive fantasy romance books, I was kinda in a slump. But good thing, I had Well Matched for me because it brought me back to romance books. 
Well Matched is a perfect light-hearted rom-com read. It will brighten up your day with the reverse grumpy and sunshine trope. This time, April is the grumpy character while Mitch is the delighted sunshine character. It was a bit refreshing to read a reverse grumpy and sunshine romance trope. Not all female characters are sunshine personalities. There are some grumpy ones. We are nice when we need to be. We just have things to deal with. Just like April. And Mitch is more than willing to help her no matter how much she protests. 

I did not think I could fall more in love with the characters of the Willow Creek Ren Faire but here we are. I've been a huge fan of Mitch since the start (golden retriever boys have my heart and I died when they referred to him as a himbo), and now I love April just as much. Her personal journey is so touching and I just wanted to reach through the pages and give her a big hug.

Jen managed to write the one story with a miscommunication trope that I actually enjoyed - partially because it was less miscommunication and more just April lying to herself about what she really wants in life. Regardless, I squealed, I 'awwed,' and I teared up multiple times reading this one. Well Matched indeed.

Well Matched

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