Review: Well Played by Jen DeLuca
Well Played by Jen DeLuca
Synopsis: “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.” -From the publisher
What I Liked:
The Universe—I loved Well Met last year and I couldn’t wait to return to Willow Creek Renaissance Faire. It’s the perfect setting to transition from Summer to Fall. I was so happy to see Simon and Emily again, even if the story was from their POV.
The Main Character—I loved that Stacey was an average sized woman and that while it was mentioned, it definitely wasn’t the focal point of the novel.
The Steam—Top notch steamy moments! A nice balance in the story.
What Didn’t Work:
The Romance Trope—It’s kinda second chance romance/missed opportunity/longing from afar…but it’s also cat-fishing. I commend Stacey’s willingness to forgive but also found it kinda inauthentic.
The Pace—the beginning was so.slow. It took 50% of the book to get to the main action. While we needed to set up an online relationship that spanned a whole year, it took way too long to get to the main conflict.
TW/CW: Cat fishing scenario
Character Authenticity: 3.9/5 Steam Rating: 3/5 Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Well Played publishes on 9/22/20. Thank you to the publisher for my early copy in exchange for this review! All thoughts are my own.