Well Met by Jen DeLuca | Summer Quickies
Romance at a Glance is a podcast where hosts Bridget and Shani review romance novels and interview some of romance’s biggest authors diving into candid conversations about life, relationships, and sexual desires. Expect 100% honest reviews, spontaneous singing, life lessons, indecent anecdotes, and bawdy humor. Leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Full transcript available below.
Book Review at a Glance
Worth the Read?
Shani: ⭐⭐⭐
Bridget: ⭐⭐⭐
Heroine Rating: Emily
Shani: 🍑🍑🍑
Bridget: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Hero Rating: Simon
Shani: 🍆🍆🍆
Bridget: 🍆🍆🍆
McDreamy to Mc Steamy:
Shani: McDreamy, love his use of the handfasting as a romantic gesture.
Bridget: McDreamy with a McSteamy pirate center.
Classy to Nasty:
Very vanilla. This book is cute and about the feelz.
Romance at a Glance Reviews Well Met by Jen DeLuca
Fun, flirty summer romance at the renaissance faire
This book was very cute, and really got going for us when they were in character at the faire. Who doesn’t want a swashbuckling pirate who is wooing you and bantering? The book definitely had some moments for us that were a bit problematic, especially in the way Emily is communicating with everyone, but all in all, a fun time. And pirate Simon is our jam!
PSA: Don’t give up your education or “shit” for a guy!
Some major points we discussed:
Emily’s communication style and her not stating her needs
Mitch and April becoming her friend and trying to include her so she’d feel welcome in the group
Pirate Simon!
The fun of the faire setting and the flirting!! The handfasting ceremony *le swoon
The evolution of Emily’s relationship with her sister and niece over time
Mitch in a kilt!
On Romance at a Glance, we discuss and review all genres of romance novels, as well as get into the nitty-gritty of real-life romance, relationships, and sex... while cracking each other up. Expect some spontaneous singing, funny anecdotes, honest reviews, and naughty language.
Quick Guide Review of the Book and Notes
Book Title: Well Met
Author: Jen DeLuca
Audio Narrator: Brittany Pressley
Part of a Series: Yes, book #1 of the Well Met series. Book #2 is coming out in 2020
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover Art: The cover art is an illustrated drawing. I thought it was whimsical and told me it would be contemporary romance and romantic.
Synopsis: All's faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author, Jen DeLuca.
Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?
The faire is Simon's family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn't have time for Emily's lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she's in her revealing wench's costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they're portraying?
This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can't seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek.
Heroine Rating: Emily
Shani: 🍑🍑🍑 Didn’t like that she is an indirect communicator and self sabotages herself all the time. On the good side, she was willing to drop everything to help her sister.
Bridget: 🍑🍑🍑🍑 I liked her, I thought she was cute and plucky and I enjoyed her capable attitude of running the bar and bookstore and how she was doing this to make her niece happy. I was along for the ride of her wanting to feel like she belonged in town.
One thing I really liked was that when he was putting the Faire and everything above her towards the end of the book, she broke up with him and refused to be treated like that. She didn’t try to make excuses for him (which she did with the last guy). I was onboard for the self-love.
Lost a star for me because she was doubting her own worth a little too much, even though it was explained after her d-bag former boyfriend put a real dent in it.
Hero Rating: Simon
Shani: 🍆🍆🍆 Felt he was douchy. On the good side, he recognized her trigger for having anxiety over unclear boundaries and was super clear about his intentions.
Bridget: 🍆🍆🍆 for him in real life, he was way harsh towards her when he knew nothing about her at the beginning. And while I appreciate the grand gesture and his ability to change, I didn’t love him at the beginning of the book. 🍆🍆🍆🍆 for him as a pirate! This is where he got me. The fun, the banter, the flirting, the kissing! All for it. Sadly this was his alternate persona, and not the all year one.
McDreamy to Mc Steamy:
Shani: McDreamy, love his use of the handfasting as a romantic gesture.
Bridget: McDreamy with a McSteamy pirate center.
Classy to Nasty:
Very vanilla. This book is cute and about the feelz.
Favorite Lines in the Book:
Favorite Review:
Bridget’s from Goodreads:
Lola rated it 3.5 stars
This romance was both familiar and unfamiliar for me.
If you’re like me, then you’ve probably never been to a faire before and thought that was a thing for Hollywood movies. I’m not even sure we have those in Montreal but maybe I just haven’t known where to look thus far.
So the setting of the Renaissance faire in this story felt very original to me. The fact that a love-hate, slow-burn romance blossomed at the faire only made things better and more exciting of course. I couldn’t wait for the wench (Emily) and the pirate (Simon), whose real-life alter egos despise each other, put their differences aside and make out.
But it was also very familiar, because it has a rom-com vibe and lots of rom-com tropes, such as miscommunication, enemies-to-lovers, self-doubting-heroine, cutesy-‘‘unexpected’’-situations and the feel that the world is working to bring the two lovers together. It’s pretty predictable and sometimes annoying because the reader often knows more than the main character does and waits for her to catch up. I also would have cut many of the descriptions that went on and on.
In a nutshell, it’s a slow and basically formulaic romantic storyline, but the setting is absolutely original and I did quite enjoy the back-and-forth between Emily and Simon.
Worth the Read?
Shani: ⭐⭐⭐ If you like contemporary and this type of book then you will like it. I wouldn’t read it again, but contemporary isn’t my jam.
Bridget: ⭐⭐⭐ It was charming, romantic, quick-reading, and fun! The Faire atmosphere, side characters, and descriptions were a big plus.
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Full Podcast Transcript
Recommendations:
Welcome to Romance at a Glance, a podcast that uses romance novels to dive into candid conversations about life, relationship dynamics, and sexual desires.
As hosts Bridget and Shani review books and interview some of romance’s biggest authors, they explore the breadth of the genre, openly embracing the sex, diverse couplings, and taboo in order to create a safe space for listeners to be exposed to different lifestyles, fantasies, and to pique their naughty curiosity.
Expect 100% honest reviews, spontaneous singing, life lessons, indecent anecdotes, and bawdy humor.
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