Owl Abridged
Book Review,  Romance

Well Played by Jen DeLucas

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.

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

Book Information:

Well Played by Jen DeLuca
Genre: WOMEN’S FICTION / CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Publishing Date: September 22, 2020 by Berkley

I’m catching up on reviews! I read this one (and the rest of the series) while on our cruise at the end of January. I love the characters and renaissance faire setting but unfortunately the romance in this one fell a bit flat.

My biggest issue was just the catfishing situation. I don’t think I could ever stay with anyone after finding out they were lying to me since the very beginning so I really just couldn’t relate to Stacey at all. Stacey also felt like the primary focus in this book rather than the couple and their relationship. In any other genre I wouldn’t be bothered but in a romance it is disappointing.

I want to mention that the books in this series tend to have very light tension and conflict. I don’t get as emotionally invested because of it but the characters are still charming and the renaissance setting is enjoyable enough for me to stick with the series.