Ratings74
Average rating3.7
'I didn't choose the wench life. The wench life chose me' Emily's moved to the small Maryland town of Willow Creek for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident. But when teenage niece Caitlin volunteers for the local Renaissance Faire, Emily's suddenly signing up too as a . . . tavern wench. She's not sure how it happened, but it's certainly nothing to do with Simon, the infuriating and inscrutable schoolteacher running the show. The Faire is Simon's family legacy - and he hasn't time for Emily's jokey approach, her take on Shakespeare, or her suggestions to liven things up. Yet as the Faire comes together and each inhabits their costumed roles, he becomes a different person. Is irritation turning to flirtation? Soon, Emily's asking herself: is their mutual attraction real, or just the roles they're playing? Well Met is a glorious will-they-or-won't-they romance.
Series
4 primary booksWell Met is a 4-book series with 4 primary works first released in 2019 with contributions by Jen DeLuca.
Reviews with the most likes.
So damn delightful and exactly what I needed right now! Not wholly a romance - I mean, it definitely ticks the boxes of the genre, but it's almost as much about Emily rebuilding the relationship with her sister and niece, making friends, and restarting her life after a bad breakup as it is about the romance with Simon. That's not to say I didn't like the romance, because I absolutely did (though I read a tweet from the author comparing Simon and Mitch's energy to that of Chris and Brad from the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen videos, and that was a little bit distracting, because it changed my mental image of Simon to Chris Morocco, which isn't all that far off from the character description, but the pirate outfit in Faire was ... yeah, a lot.) I really liked this world, though it was a little bit white and straight for my tastes, but a nice, low-conflict, low-drama romance was perfect in these “challenging times,” as every email I've gotten from a company phrases it. Very excited to read the next book in this series!
This was a very cute enemies to lover rom-com situation. We have Emily, who's life is up in the air at the moment and has moved in with her older sister and niece to help out after her sister's accident. Then we have Simon who seems to “have a stick up his butt”. The banter was absolutely the best at the Ren Faire when they were each in their alter ego as bar wench and pirate. I was really enjoying the whole Ren Faire background because I've always wanted to go to one.
This, all in all, was a cute and easy read ( I don't mean that in a bad way). It didn't rock my world but it wasn't a waste of my time either.
This book started off really well and I loved the premise but it went downhill once the story/romance started. It all seems so unrealistic. I enjoyed the banter between Simon and Emily but their relationship did not feel organic at all to me. I'm curious to see what happens in the companion novels. but was disappointed with how this relationship unfolded.
CAWPILE Breakdown:
Characters: 7
Atmosphere: 9
Writing: 4
Plot: 3
Intrigue: 5
Logic: 5
Enjoyment: 5