Name: Sarah Sammis's review of Well Played by Jen DeLuca
Item: Well Played
Rating: 5
Author: Sarah Sammis

Jen DeLuca

A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy featuring kilted musicians, Renaissance Faire tavern wenches, and an unlikely love story. LibraryReads Pick 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.

Well Played

Ruby Williams

A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy featuring kilted musicians, Renaissance Faire tavern wenches, and an unlikely love story. LibraryReads Pick 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.

Sarah Sammis

One of the running jokes in Well Played is that most people these days wouldn't get the Cyrano reference. There's also situational humor — a romantic night with a squeaky bed above the parents' garage.

The short of it is: it was a fun and quick read, perfect for a lazy afternoon.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2021/comm...

Marcy Pursell 

After really enjoying the first book in the series, Well Met, I didn't care for Stacey's story as much. It moved slowly for me, and it felt like there just want much meat to the story. Still looking forward to Well Matched.

I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did since the focus wasn’t on Simon and Emily anymore, but this was another fun read! Stacey feeling left behind and feeling like life going on around her, feeling stuck and lost - all those things really resonated with me, so I actually appreciated this story a lot more than I thought I would.

And feeling at home at the ren faire? That’s something only a few of my friends ever understood so that part really struck a chord with me.

Rachael Bahr

I didn’t expect to enjoy this as much as I did since the focus wasn’t on Simon and Emily anymore, but this was another fun read! Stacey feeling left behind and feeling like life going on around her, feeling stuck and lost - all those things really resonated with me, so I actually appreciated this story a lot more than I thought I would.

And feeling at home at the ren faire? That’s something only a few of my friends ever understood so that part really struck a chord with me.

Gillian Rose

While not as charming as Well Met, I found myself relating very hard to Stacey. And I do love Cyrano stories.

Jenelle andersen

Everything I loved about the first book was lost in this sequel. Very let down :’(
Will still wait patiently for the third one though.

Cutesy romance book with an email mistaken identities twist. I enjoyed this in large part because I loved the first book, but I don't think it stands out much beyond that. I was disappointed that the first 30% happens all outside the fairegrounds, but I had fun once the faire season started again.

I feel for Stacey, and I'm sad that she spends a lot of the book lonely and emotionally distressed. Well Met was always fun with the push-pull of Emily and Simon, but this relationship has a foundation of deceit that's more frustrating than cute. But at least the happy ending made up for it (?), and I'm excited to see Stacey again in the sequels.

These books are fun and easy, and never fail to make me yearn for the renaissance faire season. :') 

Caroline Clutterbuck Kapulkin

Cutesy romance book with an email mistaken identities twist. I enjoyed this in large part because I loved the first book, but I don't think it stands out much beyond that. I was disappointed that the first 30% happens all outside the fairegrounds, but I had fun once the faire season started again.

I feel for Stacey, and I'm sad that she spends a lot of the book lonely and emotionally distressed. Well Met was always fun with the push-pull of Emily and Simon, but this relationship has a foundation of deceit that's more frustrating than cute. But at least the happy ending made up for it (?), and I'm excited to see Stacey again in the sequels.

These books are fun and easy, and never fail to make me yearn for the renaissance faire season. :') 

Jessica Ford

Connor 

super cute! making me more and more excited for the third one.

Nicole Dykeman

Revisiting the renaissance fair was loads of fun, and I still very much enjoyed this book, but it was definitely not as good as Simon and Emily's story. The best parts of this romance book were the parts that were not romance, like Stacey growing into her own, taking on more responsibility in planning the fair, and helping Simon and Emily plan and execute their wedding. I didn't really care for Daniel as a love interest, and it was hard to look past the whole catfishing thing, especially when he repeatedly tells Stacey there will be no more secrets or lies, but then everything falls apart all over again. Still, I'm glad Stacey found an ending that brought her happiness and helped her grow. I love this universe, and I am so pumped to read April and Mitch's story.

Mariane Ferrantino 

A cute continuation of this joyful series!

Flavia Louise

Libby G

Don’t mind me running back to the Willow Creek Ren Faire. This time we get Stacey’s story.

Everyone is getting married, getting their dream jobs, having kids…except for Stacey. Stacey is still living above the garage of her childhood home. 

In a bout of loneliness and wine boosted confidence she sends a message to her summer fling or she thinks she does.

When the Faire rolls around she discovers the person she’s been sharing her deepest desires with wasn’t her summer fling at all but his cousin…

Funny, heartfelt, spicy and everything in between this was a fun return to the world of Willow Creek. I must say I really enjoy these “world of books” it’s so fun to see different characters get moments to shine.

Camila Eduarda Vilela Lobianco

** spoiler alert **
           I mean, the guy lied twice but he deserves a chance? And she stopped living her mother's life to life her boyfriend's? I didn't get the idea of the book

Kathryn 

Naza

Becky

I don't know what to say on this one. I had such high hopes after enjoying Well Met. I was excited to see Stacey's HEA and I was intrigued when I saw it was going to start with her messaging who she thought was Dex. Well it was obvious it wasn't Dex from the start but that catfish situation wasn't my favourite. Stacey found out and she got to confront the fake Dex... but when she found and started falling for him. I wasn't convinced. There was no spark. Where was the chemistry? I think it was because they pretty much fell into a comfortable relationship as soon as she found out who she was speaking to. You didn't get the flirtation and will they won't they spark you get at the start. I know you could say you got that in their emails and texts but it wasn't the same. And then where was the grand romantic gesture at the end? Stacey went and chased him down and not the other way around and that wasn't cool either. 

Honestly I was let down by this one. I finished it and it had it's moments of making me smile but this won't be in my firm favourites list. I am excited for Mitch and April's book though. This was obviously not the book for me. It wasn't my favourite trope anyway but I'm glad I got to learn more about Stacey. She really was one of my favourites and I liked getting to see behind the persona she put on for everyone.

Tatiana

** spoiler alert **
           I’m not a fan of catfishing stories. Or Cyrano stories, if you prefer. In fact, that’s why I really don’t like the classic romcom You’ve Got Mail.

I liked this story better than that movie, though. But I still felt like Stacey forgave Daniel a bit too easily. The author makes it clear that she’s okay with it because she fell in love with the person behind the words, and not the Hemsworthiness, but I just felt the forgiving too easy.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand why Daniel didn’t want to come clean, but after he lied about how he lied, hm… Also I like it when the love interest fights for the main character, and this was the other way around. So I guess, that’s why I am only giving it 3 stars. Still better than what I gave You’ve Got Mail on Letterboxd though… (Yeah I’m still bitter about how disappointing that movie was, years later.)

Tatyana

This story was fun, flirty, and cute. Stacey buying a dragonfly necklace and finding out that they say a dragonfly means change gives her a whole new perspective of her life.
Thinking she's talking to her old summer fling Dex but really finding out it's not him was interesting. But knowing that she has a true connection with this guy was great. 
Stacey took a chance and welcomed the change in her life despite being afraid which led to her happy ending.

Candyce Kirk

Like I said when I read Well Met, I loved the setting. Renaissance Faires are similar to a festival I've helped at for the past few years. Once again Jen DeLuca made me feel like I was there when our main character was walking around there. I am happy it didn't take over as much of the book as it did the first book. We got to spend more time with the characters and I enjoyed that.

Our main character Stacey is reevaluating her life and what she wants. The past few summers she's had a fling with musician Dex MacLean. If you read the way he's described, I have to say a lot of people wouldn't mind that, haha. Stacey is still where she grew up when life turned upside down for her and her mother became ill. I really love Stacey for that. She has a great relationship with her parents, but also feels like she can't move away in case anything happens.

I feel like we learn a lot about Stacey after she has a little too much to drink and finally takes the leap to try and have more with her fling Dex. It was nice for a change to have a character that isn't perfect and is also really trying to figure out what she wants. Stacey felt like a really genuine character. She made me laugh and really had me hoping she'd get her happy ending.

Then there's the romance. It's a kind of a catfishing/Cyrano Bergerac type of love story. While I do have some issues with the whole lying part, etc. I really ended up loving Daniel. What I was missing in Well Met (more interaction between the love interests) was definitely made up for in Well Played. I loved all the e-mails and text messages (I'm a big fan of these in books). Yeah, the issues may have been solved a bit too easily, but I still loved these two characters together. These two left a big smile on my face.

An extra element I loved about Well Played is the amazing cast of side characters. They're so much fun and I love reading about the characters we met in the first book. I really didn't mind getting more Emily and Simon. All in all, I really enjoyed this story and I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Esther

same universe as Well Met but somehow with less lovable characters

  "In this century we don’t go straight for a Cyrano reference. We call it catfishing."

Jessica Williamson

4.75 Stars

ARC provided by Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

As much as I loved Well Met, I figured I would like this follow up too, I just didn't know how much. Let me say, this book was EVERYTHING I needed right know. 

The first thing you need to know about me is that I LOVE the Renaissance Festival. We have a fairly local one, it's one of the huge ones with year long structures and more acts and shows than you can see in a single visit. I've been at least once every year since I was 16 (that's more than half of my life), and if I could find a way to get weekends off of work for two months every year, I'd work there too. It is my favorite place, my happy place. And this year? Much like everything else, it's been cancelled. 

This book brought that shot of Renaissance festival love that I needed. It put me in my happy place and brought back all of the feelings I normally get to experience this time of year but I'm not getting. I loved it so, so much. 

So yes, this book works for those of us who love the Ren faire but what about the rest of you? Don't worry, it's good something for you too.

Stacy is this ridiculously relatable character, for those of us who are past 25 and still single, or just those who feel like they never reached their full potential. Or maybe you're just not happy with where you've been planted. Following Stacy's character arc throughout this book brought so much insight into my own life. Some parts of this book felt like Jen wrote them just for me, as an "I see you, and it's going to be okay". And I think there are many people out there who will get that. 

There are plenty of cute boys and smexy times to go around, don't you worry. Just like Well Met this book gets a bit steamy in the middle and it's exactly what the book needs. Wow. That love interest sure knew how to overcome a squeaky bed. Talk about being hot and bothered. 

If you did read Well Met (and honestly, you should because it's fabulous but you'll make it through this okay without prior knowledge) there are some of our favorites who return to the page. Our favorite pirate and his fun-loving tavern wench, obviously, but also Emily's sister April, her niece Caitlin and the kilt-loving Mitch all make a return. And oh yeah, book three? Book three is 100% April and Mitch's book and I'm so dang excited about it I could scream.

But there's one thing we need to talk about. One negative(ish) thing. It's the catfishing. We're told in the synopsis that Stacy thinks she's messaging her summer hook up, but it turns out to be someone else, and the guy doesn't correct her. I did like the way it was handled originally (view spoiler)[ that she was the one who figured it out on her own without him telling her and his reasoning felt so on character to someone who has always had to live in Dex's shadow,  (hide spoiler)] but there's a plot twist that made me not feel so great about it again. I want to completely overlook it because of how much I loved this book, but I can't be someone who firmly believes that communication and honesty are key components of any relationship, and let this one slide. Fictional as the relationship may be, it's not okay to let someone think you're someone else, especially when they're being that open and deep with you.

All of that said, I did really enjoy the book. I think it ended perfectly and there was just so much for me to enjoy about the adventure. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoyed the first book, likes Renaissance Festivals, books with great smexy times, cute love stories, and heroines who speak to the loneliness inside all of us single gals over age 25. 

Cover 4; Characters 5; Plot 3; Pace 5; Writing 5; Enjoyment 5.

Kath Lau

Disclaimer: I received an advance e-reader’s copy of this book from PRH International and Berkley Pub via NetGalley. This did not affect my overall opinion of the book.

Dressing up as Beatrice the tavern wench at the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire is one of the very few things that Stacey looks forward to every year. Not to mention her hookup with Dex, the lead vocalist of the band Dueling Kits. But with the faire coming to an end, she has no choice but to get back to her normal boring life. She has dreams of leaving the town and moving to New York to pursue her passion for fashion but after what happened to her mother, she chooses to stay.

It was fun and interesting to learn more about Stacey's character. We were introduce to her as Emily's bestfriend in Well Met. She's a loyal friend and loving daughter. She's plus-size and I like that she embraces and talks about her body image. She's happy for Emily and Simon but she can't help not to feel lonely and insecure. She wants to start a new life, have a serious relationship, and settle down.

It was pretty obvious that Dex isn't the one she's corresponding with but she's a little oblivious about it which was kind of annoying but still tolerable. She forgave him quite easily which, in my opinion, was understandable given her situation. She wants to take the risk and doesn't want to let her chance of a romantic relationship slip through her fingers again. I felt the chemistry between Stacey and Daniel during their email/message exchanging but it faded when they start going out together in person. Daniel's reaction to Stacey's decision was quite frustrating too. As much as I loved Emily and Simon, I didn't like that they have so many scenes in this book especially during the first half. 

Overeall, I had fun reading this book but I didn't love it as much as the first one. I'm still looking forward on reading Well Matched because I love April and Mitch!

Ruby Williams &
Well Played by Jen DeLuca

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