Rating: Five stars
Format: Paperback
To say I was excited to return to the world of the Renaissance Festival that Jen DeLuca has created in her Well Met series would be an understatement. I fell in love with Renaissance Festivals years ago, and can still remember my absolute delight when I learned there was a rom com set at one.
Here we are, four books later. Well Traveled tells the story of Lulu Malone, who literally winds up running away to join the Renaissance Festival. Also known as, living out the fantasy I fall back on whenever I’m having a rough day in the “real world.” Lulu ends up traveling with some familiar faces, the Dueling Kilts. In close quarters with the Ren Fest’s bad boy toy, Lulu begins to wonder if there might be more than meets the eye with Dex Maclean.
Even though we spent far less time in Willow Creek, I thoroughly enjoyed this latest installment in the Well Met series. Lulu’s story of ditching her overbearing job and taking some time to rediscover her joy really resonated with me, especially since she basically lives my fantasy of hanging out in the witchy Tarot reading section of the Ren Fest.
I do think the romance took a bit longer to come into fruition this one. It was a slow build and I don’t know that I ever really got a good read on Dex as a character, but I was rooting for the two of them nevertheless. There’s some nice forced proximity stuff afoot, and plenty of flirty banter in the build up.
Ultimately, I felt like the story was much more about Lulu, and I was okay with that. But for readers who (unlike me) enjoy seeing both sides of the story, I could see where this book might be lacking in that department.
In all, Well Traveled is a satisfying Ren Fest rom com the likes of which I’ve come to expect from DeLuca. Even though I don’t see signs she plans to return to this series yet, I’m excited to see what she does next. I recommend this one for fans of single POV romance, forced proximity, and a little bit of steam. Not to mention, fans of the Renaissance Festival and tarot reading.
(This post also appears in our Medium publication, here).
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I agree, the romance was slow. I felt the story was way more focused on Lulu and her personal journey which was fine because I enjoyed it. I did grow to like Dex more even if his “problem” was very similar to Mitch’s (from the previous book)
That’s a good point about Dex and Mitch having similar struggles to overcome!
I’m glad that you enjoyed it and the series Amanda. Great review. I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!
I enjoyed this one too! I loved the way Lulu dumped her old life and found a new one.
I am only on Well Met, but hope to get to this one. I am okay with just one POV as long as it is a good one. I look forward to finishing this series soon. Nice review, AmandaKay.