Well Traveled (Well Met #4)
Expected publication: December 6th 2022 by Berkley, Paperback 336 pages
The Renaissance Faire is on the move, and Lulu and Dex are along for the ride, in the next utterly charming rom-com from Jen DeLuca.
A high-powered attorney from a success-oriented family, Louisa "Lulu" Malone lives to work, and everything seems to be going right, until the day she realizes it’s all wrong. Lulu’s cousin Mitch introduced her to the world of Renaissance Faires, and when she spies one at a time just when she needs an escape, she leaps into the welcoming environment of turkey legs, taverns, and tarot readers. The only drawback? Dex MacLean: a guitarist with a killer smile, the Casanova of the Faire… and her traveling companion for the summer.
Dex has never had to work for much in his life, and why should he? Touring with his brothers as The Dueling Kilts is going great, and he always finds a woman at every Faire. But when Lulu proves indifferent to his many plaid charms and a shake-up threatens the fate of the band, Dex must confront something he never has before: his future.
Forced to spend days and nights together on the road, Lulu’s interest in the kilted bad boy grows as he shows her a side of himself no one else has seen. The stresses of her old lifestyle fade away as she learns to trust her intuition and follow her heart instead of her head. But when her time on the road is over, will Lulu go with her gut, or are she and Dex destined for separate paths?
User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
hi don't mind me... i'm just claiming my stake two years early because i am officially addicted to anything Jen DeLuca writes
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Rating: really liked it
I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 for the love of Renaissance Faire stars!
I mostly liked this book but I found this a little lighter than the other books of the sequel! There are so many things I enjoyed but I had some hesitations about love story!
Pros: this book totally takes place in road trip to Faire universe!
Mitch and Well Played’s Stacey, Daniel and Declan/ Dex- Dueling Kits are back again!
Cons: this book is more women’s fiction and a woman’s self growth story than romance
On Well Played: there’s a Cyrano Bergerac style love triangle between Daniel-Stacey and Dex! I didn’t like much about it! At this book Daniel and Stacey are happily together as Dex is still popular playboy of their band!
When I started this book I was a little biased about Dex’s character. I thought this book will be bad boy meets over achier, genuine, career oriented girl story! But it’s more than that!
Lula/ Louisa is sent to North Carolina to fix a client’s problem which could be fixed by any other newbie or intern. She finds herself buying ticket for Renaissance Faire. She gets used to spend her time those places where her cousin Mitch ( we know him from first book and he’s my favorite character of the series) performs. After getting scolded by her bosses on the phone, there’s something clicks inside. Finally she realizes she’s never gonna be partner in the firm and she quits, throwing her phone to the lake which made her famous around Faire crew!
She meets with Mitch’s friend Stacey ( heroine of second book Well Played) and talks Mitch on the phone. Both Stacey and Mitch push her to take a break from her corporate life and join the road trip to work for Faire!
And she accepts to sleep in RV, selling turkey legs, collecting money for tip box, befriending faire’s mediums. And mostly she becomes a part of family created by Stacey and Dueling Kilts.
She also gets closer with Dex even though everyone including Stacey says he’s bad news.
In this book we realize Dex is not douche that we’re thinking: he’s kind and gold hearted with smart planning skills.
Dex and Lula’s friends to lovers story didn’t affect me just like other stories in the series but I enjoyed to spend more time at Renaissance Faire and the self growth story of Louisa was worth to read!
This is not my favorite book of the series but as a fan I couldn’t skip it. It’s still well written and entertaining.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
Rating: really liked it
I wanted this book's cover to be purple and IT TURNED OUT BEING PURPLE!!!!!
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Excuse me? A fourth book? I thought this was only going to be a trilogy. But you all bet I'm going to read this, even without knowing on whom the story is going to be about.
Rating: really liked it
Somewhere between 3.5 and 4 stars - I continue to be conflicted on how to rate these books because, apart from the first one, I don't feel like the romances themselves are wholly satisfying. However, I love the characters, atmosphere, and themes... so I do still enjoy these as I guess a "women's fiction" type of story with a strong romantic element
I loved that this started with the big city workaholic giving up on that lifestyle; that's often the point the book builds to, so I felt like this was a fresh take on that trope to have that be the starting point of the story. I really enjoyed seeing Lulu's development and "finding herself;" that said, I just don't know that I totally bought her & Dex coming together
Anyways, rambling here- bottom line is very well written & executed as a book overall, but I continue to be left a little cold by the romance itself
Rating: really liked it
Just staking my claim because I would read Jen DeLuca's grocery list!
Rating: really liked it
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
This is the fourth book in the series but can be read entirely as a standalone (with minor spoilers for the rest of the series)
I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)
-m/f friends to lovers
-vacation romance
-hot guy in a kilt
-close-proximity
-ren faire
-this is just a hookup
-we are definitely not looking for a relationship
-are these feeling?
This book was very much what if we just ran away to the ren faire and it was the escapism I needed. Lulu quit her job as an attorney in a spectacular fashion, ditches her life and joins the ren faire for a couple weeks, ignoring all responsibility. And hanging out/hooking up with the the hot guy in a kilt that is the ren faire player.
This was fun, light, but I really enjoyed the deeper levels of this. How we can become stuck in how people perceive us and other people's expectations, how it's almost easier. How hard it can be to do something for yourself, set your own path and fight against the mold everyone set for yourself. Dex and Lulu have both been breakout characters for me, especially Dex. Him and his kilt have been hovering around the edges of the series and it was so lovely to see him get his HEA on his terms.
I love how both Lulu and Dex saw each other and respected their dreams in a way no one else had before. I hope this series never ends, I always need my yearly fix of going to the ren faire.
Steam: 3
Rating: really liked it
I love this series and this Ren Faire world so much!!! I suspected Dex, guitarist for everybody's favorite Faire band the Dueling Kilts, and resident Lothario of Faire, was going to be a fun hero and Jen DeLuca did not let me down. It was delightful (and surprisingly sweet) to watch his relationship with Lulu develop from friendly banter to full out love.
Lulu's arc really resonated with me as someone who's had that longing to run away from life for a while, and I loved seeing her skepticism about tarot and all the other mystic arts at Faire turn into respect and even understanding.
What I loved best though was the way Dex and Lulu fit together as a couple. The best romances show how the main characters are the only ones who really see each other. And the way Lulu saw beyond Dex's f-boy persona to the considerate, thoughtful guy underneath was lovely. As was Dex's ability to see Lulu as someone who belonged in Faire life, despite her early misgivings.
As usual Jen DeLuca hit me in the feels and I liked it.
Rating: really liked it
I have never been so excited to get approved for an advanced reading copy! I was so looking forward to reading the story of LuLu, the attorney who quit her job in a particularly dramatic manner mid-renaissance fair, and Dex, the guitarist who has had many a renaissance fair fling.
I have loved every single book in this series and this was no exception. I was initially nervous that I wouldn’t feel much emotional connection to the characters as they haven’t been heavily involved in the previous books but I was completely wrong. Dex and LuLu are so loveable and getting to see the other couples again was lovely! If you’re looking for a cozy read, I couldn’t recommend this series enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review!
Rating: really liked it
Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for this eARC!
This was maybe my favorite of the series so far? Lulu quits her job in pretty dramatic fashion (including throwing her phone in a makeshift lake) and starts to travel with the Dueling Kilts and Dex, who we've heard....a lot about in previous books in the series. Does this book have some convenient plot points? You betcha, but that was comforting. I mean this as a true compliment, it felt like a Hallmark movie in terms of plot, but the characters are allowed to kiss. And they both, you know, grow and self-actualize. And IDK, but the idea of being able to just leave your life and run away with the ren faire DOES seem pretty good at the moment, with a kilted man as a bonus (uhhhh why IS Dex wearing pants on this cover??)
MAKE THESE MOVIES, any streamer, I would watch them so many times.
Also, be sure to read the dedication of this one - we must stan someone who knows when to celebrate herself. Go Jen!
Rating: really liked it
After finishing book 3: there is preview of this book at the end of the print version of well matched. I just got my copy today...was mostly reading it as an ebook but wanted a physical copy. Didn't know about the preview but as we already know it's Lulu's book. Mitch's cousin. But judging from the preview. Love interest is Dex.
Before finishing book 3: So is this really a 4th well met book? Who's left Mitch's cousin? Kate? I'm sure if I'd be ready for it to be Kate. She's was 14 when I started these books a week or 2 ago. This is just me think out loud. Not really looking for answers.
Rating: really liked it
After Well Played,
am I the only one thinking Dex and Lulu would be a disaster?
Rating: really liked it
Well Traveled is the fourth installment in author Jen DeLuca's Well Met renaissance faire romance series. And while I can't say the series needed a fourth book--particularly one as similar in theme as book three--I did ultimately enjoy this read immensely.
When Louisa "Lulu" can't take one more year over being passed over for partner at her prestigious law firm in favor of a more junior white male, she throws her phone into the lake. Well, not literally. It's actually a laundry tub. In a comedy show. At a renaissance faire. When the traveling band, Deuling Kilts, takes her in as she leaves her old life behind--at least, temporarily--she begins spending more and more time with their hunky lead singer, Dex. But Dex's reputation with the ladies precedes him, and Lulu isn't looking for a hook-up.
This book fits into the series swimmingly, and hits all the right notes. My only complaint, really, is that Dex's playboy reputation with a hidden heart of gold is strikingly similar to that of the male lead in the third book, Mitch. I think something different would have gone a long way, especially with the two books being back-to-back. But as a stand-alone, this one is stellar, and I had a fun time reading!
Thanks to Berkley for my eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
5 stars - 9/10
Rating: really liked it
Do I now have a favorite in this series? Hell yes, I do!
I know I was excited for another Ren Faire romance, but I did not expect it to become my favorite in the series.
Well Traveled follows Lulu, the hard-working cousin to Mitch. While at a Ren Faire taking a break from work she snaps and quits her job and throws her phone in a "lake". She then joins the Dueling Kilts as they travel, which leads to a great discovery of the true characterization of Dex, the lead in the Band.
I will be honest, there isn't much tension or drama in this book. Instead, it was more about self-discovery and growth. Lulu stepping away from the corporate rat wheel to take a break and also find herself again was something I think most people can relate to. God knows I wish I could do the same. Not only do we see her grow but we also see the true sides of Dex. From a simple, flat, plot device Dex becomes a fully fleshed-out character without invalidating his previous role. Before I started reading I wasn't happy to hear that Dex was the main character, but I was quickly proven wrong. Dex and Lulu completed each other and respected each other in a way I really appreciated. I couldn't put it down I was invested in these two characters too much.
Overall, I 100 percent suggest this book!
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars
Thank you Berkley and Netgalley for an eARC!ABSOLUTELY ADORED.
Full review to come closer to release!
Rating: really liked it
A sheer delight and probably the most fun of the series. I don't know what it is about the Ren Faire setting...DeLuca makes it seem like the most romantic thing in the world.
