Well Traveled

Lulu Malone has been working her butt off for years trying to make partner at her firm but when she finally has the realization it's never going to happen, she dramatically quits her job while attending a Renaissance Faire. Lucky for her, a friend of her cousin is a witness and kindly agrees to take her in. For the next few weeks, Lulu will travel as part of the Dueling Kilts group until they arrive at the Renaissance Faire that her cousin helps run. What Lulu doesn't expect is to find herself at the Faire, particularly at the tarot booth, nor does she expect to find a spark with Dex MacLane, who has a reputation of having a girl at every Faire. But can what she shares with Dex live beyond her time at the Faire?

Another cute romance from show more DeLuca and a fitting conclusion to this series of romances. I enjoyed Lulu and Dex's banter and watching Lulu discover what she wants out of her life is rewarding. The resolution of the relationship conflict is a teensy bit unbelievable but not so bad that I don't accept the HEA. Fans of the series will be pleased with this one. show less

Another delightful Renaissance Faire romance. This time the lead is Louisa "Lulu" Malone, Mitch's lawyer cousin. When she hits the glass ceiling, quitting when she realizes she'll never make partner, she quite literally runs away with the Renaissance Faire: Stacey takes her under her wing and Lulu travels with the Dueling Kilts from Faire to Faire until they reach Willow Creek, where she plans to stay with Mitch and restart her life. Lulu can tell right away what kind of guy Dex MacLean, Dueling Kilts guitarist, is - at least, she thinks she can. But Dex falls for Lulu, and then they have a new problem on their hands: two totally separate and incompatible lives. Does their relationship have a built-in expiration date, or will they show more figure out a way? (The latter, obviously; it's a romance novel.) I enjoyed Louisa's transformation into Lulu, and her growing interest in tarot cards as she helps the fortune tellers in the Mystic's Glade. Altogether enjoyable. I wonder if April's daughter Caitlin will be DeLuca's next heroine?

Well Met - Emily & Simon
Well Played - Stacey & Daniel
Well Matched - April & Mitch

Quotes

...they'd been my parents' goals, not mine. All laid out in front of me like landmarks, but no one had ever asked if I'd wanted any of them. (27)

"I'm not predicting anything. That's not what the cards do. It's more like something to keep in mind as you move into whatever is coming your way." (Sasha to Lulu, 139)

Kissing Dex...was the cool side of the pillow, nestled perfectly against your cheek as you slide into a pleasant dream. But it was also holding a lit match to the fuse of a firecracker: that dangerous sizzle that told you the good stuff was on its way. (170) show less

{fourth of 4 [[[Well Met]]] series; romance, renaissance faire, steamy}(2022)

This is the fourth (and currently last) in the series based around renaissance faires on the east coast of America which take place on consecutive summers and follow a linked group of characters. They can be read as stand-alone but it's helpful (not essential) to know the background from the previous books.

Lulu (Louisa), Mitch Malone's (from the third book) lawyer cousin is on assignment in North Carolina and takes a break to visit a ren faire since the information she is there to get for her case won't be available until after the weekend. Unfortunately, her boss expects it yesterday and, frustrated at never making partner despite annual promises, she has a show more meltdown and throws her phone into a tub of water which is part of one of the acts. Fortunately Stacey (from the second book) is also at the faire, recognises her and rescues her. Between them Mitch, Stacey and Lulu decide - since she's burned her bridges with her company - that she should go off-grid and travel with the Duelling Kilts (the act Stacey is part of) until it gets to the Willow Creek ren faire where Mitch will be performing. Of course, Dex MacLean (Stacey's ex who is famous for having a girl at every faire) is part of the group, too. But Lulu knows better than to hook up with him. Doesn't she?

This was a gentle story, highlighting a different aspect of faire life. I thought the ending was sweet, if a little idealistic for real life - if only! I liked that there wasn't a 'big misunderstanding due to non-communication' part of the story.

The characters were similar to April and Mitch from the previous book: slightly older career woman, outside faire life; slightly younger (over 30) faire himbo in a kilt, undervalued by his family and ready to settle down in life. There was a feeling that Dex was blamed for the misunderstanding before Stacey and Daniel got together in the second book but I didn't get/ don't remember that vibe when I read it. Dex is sweet and understanding in this story; a personna not hinted at in the previous books - though he's still as attractive to the girls.

This was a good place to finish the series - or, since each book focusses on different characters, a good place to continue the series from if the author wants to.

My favourite character is - still - Simon-as-pirate.

(November 2023)

3-3.5 stars show less

When Lulu realizes that she's never going to make partner at her law firm, she has a minor breakdown. She tosses her phone in a nearby tub of water and runs away to join the Renaissance Faire. Traveling the Ren Faire circuit with the band The Dueling Kilts, Lulu has plenty of time to think about the direction her life has been heading and what she wants to do with her future. She knows one thing: she doesn't want a quick hookup with Dex, the band's hottie who has a girl (or two or three) at every faire. However, as she gets to know the band members better, she begins to see more to Dex than his bad boy reputation. Could she have been wrong about Dex all along? And even if she embraces a relationship with him, what will happen when she show more returns to the real world at the end of the summer?

This is the fourth entry in this series, and readers who liked the first three will probably enjoy this one as well. Most of the familiar characters make an appearance at some point, and there's plenty of Ren Faire description that will have readers craving turkey legs and funnel cake. It took a lot of convincing for me to accept Dex's personal growth, as he'd been so solidly one-dimensional in previous books, and I couldn't see a happy way out for the couple, though DeLuca makes it work in the end. Not my favorite in the series, but still a fun read! show less

This engaging contemporary romance stars lawyer Louisa "Lulu" Malone and Dex MacLean.

Louisa has been working very hard to fulfill her parents' expectations for her. Seventy hours a week isn't enough to secure her a partnership in the law firm where she works. She finally realizes this while taking an afternoon off by visiting a Renaissance Fair and her phone keeps beeping with messages demanding results she can't deliver.

A phone call from her demanding boss is the final straw. She quits her job and throws her phone into the Laundry Wenches washtub.

Luckily, she is welcomed into the world of Renaissance Fairs and soon becomes part of the Dueling Kilts company. The lead singer is Dex MacLean who is the Casanova of all the fairs his show more group visits. Lulu is attracted but also determined not to become one of his conquests.

Dex has been happy with his life. Traveling from fair to fair with his brother and cousins, playing his guitar, and loving all the ladies has been enough for him - until he meets Lulu who isn't immediately felled by his charms.

As they travel together for the summer, the pair become closer and fall in love. But fall looks to bring their separation. Lulu wants to work as a lawyer - though not for the huge, soul-destroying company where she worked before - and Dex wants to stay with the fairs and play his music. It looks like sorrow for the both of them until they find a compromise.

This story had a great setting and great characters. This is the fourth book in the series that began with Well Met (2019). It stands alone quite well, but characters from earlier stories do appear in this one. show less

Louisa Malone had her entire life planned until she has an epiphany during a visit to a Renaissance Faire; she is going nowhere. At that point, she literally chucks her life away by quitting her job and throwing her cell phone into a bucket of water. After that, she joins the new friends she has made on the Ren Faire circuit, helping out wherever she can. Most of the summer, she resists the attentions of playboy, Dex, but when they are forced to live together in a small motor home, good intentions go out the window. Lulu knows that her time at the Ren Faire must end because this isn't her life, but she has no idea what her real life will look like.

The women's fiction aspect of Well Traveled made it tough to believe that this could be a show more romance with a happy ending, especially since Dex doesn't seem like happy ending material, but the author manages to make it work. Most of the story centers around the Ren Faire circuit and many scenes take place with characters located in locations around each Faire, so conflict is minimal, but somehow the plot continually moves forward anyway. Lulu is well developed since most of the story is from her pov, but there are multiple characters that play background roles, and as a result, we never really get their stories. Overall, however, Well Traveled is a gentle addition to the Ren Faire series and made for a satisfying read. show less

This was the most delightful book of the series! I was dying for there not to be a third-act break-up due to miscommunication and I was (finally) not disappointed.