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Title: Well Played
Author: Jen DeLuca
Sub-genre: Contemporary
Guys. I’ve rediscovered my mojo. I have been burning through books so far this month and I think my September slump has been thoroughly defeated. Of course, I’ve read nothing but romance so far so I can’t commit to being fully back in the game just yet, but I’m feeling hopeful. And one of the rom coms I devoured in the first week of October was Well Played, a book I have been waiting for for what feels like forever!
Stacey (Emily’s best friend from book one) is back at Ren Faire, but feeling a bit restless. She has lived in the same small town for most of her life, moving back home after a brief stint in the fashion world because her mother had a heart attack and needed help. She has a solid but boring job, a couple of friends, but nothing other than Ren Faire to really make life interesting. One super interesting facet of Ren Faire is her hook ups with Dex, the lead singer of a band that plays at the faire who happens to be super hot and kilted, and also a serious player. One drunken night after faire ends, Stacey sends Dex a Facebook message (since the band has left town to travel on to a different faire). And lo and behold, he responds. And he responds in a way that is thoughtful and unlike Dex in real life. Dex and Stacey begin an online correspondence that progresses into texts, that progresses into pining. Stacey is stoked to see him again as the next year’s Ren Faire approaches, when she discovers she hasn’t been chatting with Dex at all, rather, she has been engaging with his cousin and the band manager, Daniel. At first Stacey feels betrayed, but when she and Daniel meet face to face, they have a definite connection that she can’t deny. Now their only issue is that Daniel is only in town for four weeks. Of course, they are able to work it all out in the end and live happily ever after.
There is a lot to like about this book. If you enjoyed Well Met, then you will probably enjoy this one too. The faire scenes are a great escape from *gestures helplessly* the world right now, and it was almost like a mini vacation to read about people being able to go out places and talk to each other. What a concept! It was a well-timed brain escape for me and I really needed it.
What didn’t hit for me quite as well in this book was the actual relationship between Stacey and Daniel. Since they spend so much time apart, I felt like I was missing the zing so perfectly captured in Well Met. There wasn’t as much tension–sexual or otherwise–as I would have liked. In fact, I think there was more tension between April (Emily’s sister) and Mitch (kilted hottie) than there was between Stacey and Daniel (and I think April and Mitch are the couple in book three, which I am here for). It was still a lovely and entertaining read, but it’s not the kind of book I’m going to go back to again and again.
Overall Rating: 4 stars
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