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Well Met #5
Well Versed
It’s a second chance at first love at the Renaissance Faire, where the search for a new queen shapes a destiny, from USA Today bestselling author Jen DeLuca.
Caitlin Parker was eighteen when she fell out of love with the magic of the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire—the site of her first real heartbreak. But now, twenty-four and unemployed, she finds herself in her childhood bedroom and her childhood lady-in-waiting costume, assisting a rotating cast of substitute queens for the season. The very last person she wants to see is Alexander Wright—the sword-fighting, Shakespeare-spouting young man who won and broke her teenage heart. Yet there he is, older, annoyingly hotter, and back on stage at her Faire.
When Alex broke things off with Caitlin the first time, he thought he was just ending a summer fling. He didn't realize how much he’d fallen for her until he let her go, and he certainly didn't know he’d tarnished her memories of her cherished Faire and worse, shattered her view on love and relationships. His need to right that wrong this summer brings them together again and again, and this time, it won’t be so easy to let go of this summer fling.
But as summer winds down, real life is catching up to both of them. Caitlin’s always thought that being an adult with adult responsibilities means leaving whimsy behind. Alex, with a life full of stage combat, songs, and sonnets, doesn’t know how to live any other way. Can they go after their dreams and find a future together where they can still say “huzzah”?
Caitlin Parker was eighteen when she fell out of love with the magic of the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire—the site of her first real heartbreak. But now, twenty-four and unemployed, she finds herself in her childhood bedroom and her childhood lady-in-waiting costume, assisting a rotating cast of substitute queens for the season. The very last person she wants to see is Alexander Wright—the sword-fighting, Shakespeare-spouting young man who won and broke her teenage heart. Yet there he is, older, annoyingly hotter, and back on stage at her Faire.
When Alex broke things off with Caitlin the first time, he thought he was just ending a summer fling. He didn't realize how much he’d fallen for her until he let her go, and he certainly didn't know he’d tarnished her memories of her cherished Faire and worse, shattered her view on love and relationships. His need to right that wrong this summer brings them together again and again, and this time, it won’t be so easy to let go of this summer fling.
But as summer winds down, real life is catching up to both of them. Caitlin’s always thought that being an adult with adult responsibilities means leaving whimsy behind. Alex, with a life full of stage combat, songs, and sonnets, doesn’t know how to live any other way. Can they go after their dreams and find a future together where they can still say “huzzah”?
349 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 22, 2026
About the author
Jen DeLuca
8 books4,518 followersJen DeLuca was born and raised near Richmond, Virginia, but now lives in Arizona with her husband and a houseful of rescue pets. She loves latte-flavored lattes, Hokies football, and the Oxford comma. Well Met is her first novel, inspired by her time volunteering as a pub wench with her local Renaissance Faire.
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Want to Read
April 13, 2026You guys have no idea how much the
Well Met
series means to me, and to know that Caitlin is getting her own book and IT IS PINK!?!?!?!
This is going to be so good, I can feel it!
This is going to be so good, I can feel it!
February 5, 2026
Full of heated yearning and DeLuca’s signature wit, WELL VERSED is an absolute delight that will have you rooting for second chances and wishing it was Ren-Faire season!
May 11, 2026
Alex was a bottom-tier love interest, and this is saying a lot from the same book universe that has catfish Daniel. I wanted to love Caitlin’s story but she felt more like a teenager in this book at 24 than she did when she was an actual teenager. I officially accept that Well Met will never be topped.
September 28, 2026
4⭐️
Caitlin has recently returned to her moms house in Willow Creek after being laid off at her big city job. She feels aimless and a little bitter about being roped into the Faire again- which as a young teenager she loved but now holds the bad memories of her first love. And low and behold that first love and heartbreak is also at the Faire doing a Shakespearean routine! Enter Alex
These two were very cute. I loved how in the beginning Cait didn't blow off their young relationship or pretend it was nothing to her- she says right to Alex's face that he broke her heart, and doesn't hold back. Alex of course was also much younger and doesn't really have an excuse other than being young and dumb, but he DOES apologize and we all quickly move on. I loved how Caitlin began to fall in love with the Faire again- she's seeing it in a slightly different light now, with the hint of nostalgia and the love of her family and friends.
"This was all uncharted territory for poor Lady Guinevere. She'd never had a champion before. Come to think of it, neither had I."Huzzah! It was so great getting to go back to Willow Creek and the Ren Faire with the whole gang- having Caitlin be our last FMC was such a nice conclusion after getting to see her grow up at the Faire throughout this series
Caitlin has recently returned to her moms house in Willow Creek after being laid off at her big city job. She feels aimless and a little bitter about being roped into the Faire again- which as a young teenager she loved but now holds the bad memories of her first love. And low and behold that first love and heartbreak is also at the Faire doing a Shakespearean routine! Enter Alex
These two were very cute. I loved how in the beginning Cait didn't blow off their young relationship or pretend it was nothing to her- she says right to Alex's face that he broke her heart, and doesn't hold back. Alex of course was also much younger and doesn't really have an excuse other than being young and dumb, but he DOES apologize and we all quickly move on. I loved how Caitlin began to fall in love with the Faire again- she's seeing it in a slightly different light now, with the hint of nostalgia and the love of her family and friends.
September 26, 2026
After recently losing her job, 24-year-old Caitlin Parker is forced to move back into her childhood bedroom just in time to step back into a role as lady-in-waiting for the queen at her small town’s local renaissance faire. Problem is she hasn’t been back to faire for almost seven years since her heart was broken by her first love, Alexander Wright. Despite being promised they didn’t hire his swordfighter group back, they still inadvertently hired him back for his one man Shakespeare show. Unable to avoid him in such close proximity, the two must confront their unresolved past and hurt feelings if they have any chance of paving the way to a fresh start that could lead to something more. But with Caitlin not planning on staying past this summer and Alex harboring his own secrets, is it even worth it to try something new when they may not have a future?
I’m just disappointed. I adore this series and even with the worst of the series (cough book 2) I still came out positive. And after how excellent book 4 was ending on such a high, I’m so bummed to officially end this series in such a pathetic whimper. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nowhere near as bad as her worst (fuck you GHOST BUSINESS), but I was hoping by returning to faire we’d channel her best. I wanted another Mitch, Simon, or Dex, but depressingly we got another Daniel. He’s a pathetic loser, he sucks from the moment he’s introduced, and doesn’t really get better. I wanted more for her, but alas.
What bums me out is as per usual, I adore everything around this romance. It was wonderful to be back with all our past leads, they’re all beautifully highlighted, I had a blast being back in this world. Having quite literally recently attended the MD faire to meet Jen and get this book, it was also so sweet to see how lovingly she captured that trip as well. I enjoyed Caitlin’s personal arc, I’m just mad about how she is romantically. Often when you move back home you can regress into the kid you used to be, but I didn’t expect it to be so literal. I feared there wouldn’t be enough of a time jump for her to grow up, and while Caitlin technically is 24, she often acts like a teenager. I liked the symmetry of her being the same age as Emily was in WELL MET, but while Emily had dumb moments, even she wasn’t as childish. The amount of time I was begging her to grow a spine and stand up for herself. She bends over backwards and settles for this wimpy loser. I don’t understand why the two FMCs who have every right to rip into their men are the ones who don’t so they end up learning nothing. I’m sad we had to finish it off with such a bottom tier love interest. I recommend to people that love this series and are less judgemental than me, but otherwise know that you’re getting another Daniel book aka a subpar romantic plot that makes the FMC worse and brings down an overall fun story. I’ll continue to read JD’s books hoping she can recapture the magic, but I fear to hope.
SPOILERS FROM HERE ON
To quite LITERALLY quote Catlin, ‘I was hoping he would be my Mitch, and instead he’s my dad’ AKA she ended up with a pussy ass bitch. I didn’t like Alex from the moment he was introduced. They hooked up back when she was 17 and he was 20, teetering on the edge of being inappropriate, the ONLY reason I give them a pass is Caitlin was graduated and to me as soon as you graduate you’re in college so I’ll give it a tentative ok. Plus she’s 17 going on 18, pretty sure her birthday is in September, so it’s not TOO bad. But basically he was her first love and they were swept up. Come first or second month into her freshman year, dude dumps her OVER TEXT with nothing further. Next faire he’s all over somer rando wenches and she’s so heartbroken she refuses to come back to faire and changes her major. Now, it’s a good change. She changes it from Shakespeare (which not sure that’s a real major? Pretty sure she’d have to major in English Lit with a concentration in Shakespeare) which is a dead end major that would get her NOWHERE to Computer Science. Trust me, I WISH I had been interested in something as practical as computer science, I WISH I could work for IT, especially since those are the most remote jobs that pay bank, so I think she most definitely made the correct choice. But the fact she did it for a man, like she let a dude ruin her life that much, someone she had been dating for only a few months, even if it were her first love, that’s insane. She never got closure and while she hooked up since, she never had a real relationship after him. I do wish this was fleshed out more with her relationship with her dad. We knew from April’s book how much her dad fucking sucked and unsurprisingly after Caitlin AGAIN offered him an olive branch, they’ve had basically zero contact since. So I wished her fears of abandonment was triggered by Alex tying into why it upset her so much, but alas.
I’m trying to give Alex the benefit of the doubt that there had to be a good reason, but I was ticked off this dude had the gal to be shocked that Caitlin was angry, did you honestly think after breaking her heart that she’d be happy to see you?! I loved her being mean to him, he deserved it, but dude keeps acting like a hurt puppy until eventually cornering her to hash it out. Turns out, he had ZERO reason to dump her. His friends talked him into having a summer fling, so that was the plan with Caitlin. Luckily he wasn’t SO much of a piece of shit to sleep with her, especially with her being so young, but then he got swept up in them and realized he really did like her. Now he’s back at school and his friends say, ‘um I think you missed the point of a fling’ and peer pressure him to break up with her so he does. That’s it, he’s a fucking loser that instead of listening to how he actually feels he dumps her OVER TEXT because his friends told him to. He’s a spineless loser. He blames it on her saying she’s ‘too young’ which is also rude as hell. She was young, but she wasn’t THAT young! And she later even says he was right to do so, NO HE WASN’T! Have a real reason like long distance or to enjoy their time at college or ANYTHING. Have the courage to at least call her if you can’t go see her in person! Also it’s never explained if he were casually fucking the randos she saw, she may have projected onto him, but he never confirms or denies. Then he has this token she gave him back in the day, a ring, he STILL wears on a chain as a reminder to ‘treat hearts better’ and I couldn’t roll my eyes hard enough. When she accused of him of breaking her heart and he said, ‘I broke my own’ oh fuck off, YOU DID THIS!! But sure, they were young and dumb, he feels badly about it and especially hates that he’s the reason she hates faire. So he decides if he can’t make her fall for him, he’ll try to get her to fall back in love with faire.
I actually love that idea if it were AT ALL what he did. I would’ve loved if this were more like how Mitch showed April to fall in love with Willow Creek or how Dex allowed Lu to finally relax and open herself up to less structure. And it started this way, Alex showed her this peaceful clearing and got her a daily rose that matched her outfit, but that was it. Literally that’s all he fucking did. He could’ve got her involved in his Shakespeare show or sang her a song earlier than the final one (I did like the song he wrote for her, it was cheesy shit that she said older her appreciated, which no, you’re not wiser, you’re just smitten again so not viewing it through heartbreak, you’re right back to being naive), I wanted more flirting with her at the chess match/in costume (he takes over the chess match when Mitch got hurt, and there was one good moments, but give me more), or HE was the one who told her she should be queen! So there’s this, honestly hilarious, running gag that they need a new queen. Chris, the one who ran the bookstore with Emily who was their longtime queen, has sadly required so they’ve been finding patchwork solutions. It was blatant from basically chapter one that it would be Caitlin, she literally says the dress is fitted for someone tall like her and she’s so used to be a lady-in-waiting she knows all the duties, plus she teaches the three others how to do it. But it was a fun gag to see our past FMCs do it, Emily, then Stacy, and then Lu before Caitlin inevitably steps up. But how Alex isn’t the one to show her this and the one to remind her how much she loves this place as utterly baffling. Then after literally one day after they hashed it out and all he did was show her the clearing and get her a rose, they have a moment at the end of the day he chickens out on and SHE has to chase him down. Why the FUCK is she doing anything?!!? This dude is the one who has to woo her!! It was WAY too early for them to kiss!! And then her friends jokingly say she should fuck him for funzies and then dump him, which I think is cruel, but we all know she’d never do that. And with still no more effort in him getting her to love faire or actual wooing, he’s coming over to bang her brains out.
Their smut is annoyingly good, JD’s always written great smut, but theirs was really good and it happened really early, but my issue is it just doesn’t feel earned. I still don’t like him! Caitlin lets him back in so easily and now they’re just dating. And she still mentally thinks she’s leaving here eventually, she ends up getting an interview with a great job in NYC which at the beginning of the month (yes this all takes place over about 4 weeks) is her dream, but now she’s not sure. And through all this Alex takes another page from the Daniel handbook in lying to her by not telling her this was always his last season at faire and he’s moving back to Ohio. So why the fuck is he trying so hard to win her back over if you know there’s no future?!! And SHE’S the one who asks if there’s a chance they could at least TRY long distance?!?! Why is he so useless??? And to add to his patheticness, this is where I believe he’s worse than Daniel, he has to stop faire because his parents have been bankrolling his life this entire time. Which I legit reacted like ‘yeah no shit’ because EVERYONE who lives the faire life has another job, but not this fucker. And he tried to live like Stacey and Daniel, but they have a musical group where they can get money from merch and CD sales and Daniel is actually a great planner who was able to turn this into a living. Alex worked for a sword dueling show that slowly dissipated until he create this improv Shakespeare show and has quite literally only stayed afloat with the goodness of his parents. So literally when he takes to a hotel to fuck for his ‘last day there’ I was like, with whose money!?! NOT YOURS!! And they, fairly, are like, honey this isn’t a real life, and aren’t even just cutting him off, he’s going back to OH to work for his father’s insurance company!! HE HAS A JOB LINED UP! And sure, he’s a dreamer, poet romantic and he shits on a 9-5, oh poor little rich boy has to go work for daddy’s company, grow the fuck up. And what irritated me is the perfect job FALLS into their fucking laps. Mitch tells Caitlin that the drama teacher at the high school is retiring after this year and I’m like, well no shit that’s perfect for Alex. Except dude has zero degrees or license, but this is a book so it’ll all work out somehow. Caitlin literally TRIES to tell him and that’s when he bites off her head and calls her a corporate drone for being all right with a regular job, genuinely fuck him!! Wanting stability and a normal paying job does not make her a drone or a corporate shill! And not that he cares to ask her, but the girl has already decided she doesn’t fucking want that and fairly clams up when he lashes out at her. And when she leaves THE DUDE DOESN’T EVEN FIGHT FOR HER!!! I WAS SO MAD!!
I knew Caitlin’s arc would lead her to staying Willow Creek and tbh I love that for her. She never hated it here and once she realized she only hated faire because of one douchebag, she realized how much she loved this place and people. Plus she fell back into working with Emily at the bookstore (which Chris conveniently gave to Emily), so it was clear that was the answer. Hell, if my aunt had a cute local bookstore that I could easily work with her at, I would too! So she steps into the job that Emily got at WELL MET which somehow gives her health insurance and enough money to afford her own place, but whatever I liked it. TBH this book would be really well written if the romantic arc Caitlin went on was learning to value herself and that she deserves more from the men in her life. I also was hoping she’d learn to value Mitch as her stepfather, I was endlessly pissed she constantly said he wasn’t, I get she was graduating when he got with her mom, but that man adores her and has been for her all book!! I was expecting her to recognize how much he cared about her, but nope never happened (in fact she STILL extended another olive branch by the end, girl’s learned nothing). I was relieved she chose to stay here for herself, but then it kind of back tracked on it by having her immediately upset realizing this would never fully be her dream without Alex. Girl, buck up!!!
I just wanted her to stand up for herself more and I cannot believe she let this fucker do the exact same thing AGAIN! Just like the first time they hooked up he wooed her with flowery bullshit, and real flowers, built up her dreams of baseless romance, only to immediately flake out and fuck her over. There wasn’t much book left, but I was waiting for this asshole to do anything. When her mom was being all weird and pressuring her to move out, I was like, nah somethings going on, and when Emily was cagey about her getting a place now, I’m like Alex is at that apartment complex, sigh. You know what I didn’t expect? That the fucker STOLE her apartment!!! There was only a single one bedroom left, the rest were studios, and that mother fucker swooped in and stole it from her!! And again, WITH WHAT FUCKING MONEY?!?!!?! So he of course is taking that teacher job and just flippantly says he’ll get whatever certification he needs to do this since they said this is the teacher’s final year, and he tells this to his parents who just wanted him to settle down and are all too happy to clearly help bankroll this as well!!! Because there’s no mention of him at least getting a part time job to pay for his schooling or new apartment, nope none of that, but again, he STOLE her place so now she has to take the tiny studio apartment!! HOW IS THAT FAIR?!! I’m glad they aren’t just moving in together, but wtf!! And this fucker says, I didn’t realized I could have a stable job AND you, and I was relieved she shouted ‘YOU DIDN’T LET ME’, but then immediately softens at his bullshit proclimation that she’s all he wanted and getting this job and faire in the summer was the best of both worlds, since, uh, when?!! That was how it was for her, but he never came to this conclusion!! I wish he did ANYTHING to earn this!!! And even worse, he never left, he just stayed at Emily and Simon’s (Simon clearly grew close to him doing the chess match and has affection for him for how much he clearly loves faire), causing her own fucking family to lie to her which is fucked, and then steals her fucking apartment to beg her to take him back. He just sucks!!! He does nothing to earn this job, it just conveniently fell into his lap, same as with Caitlin. He even asks if she’s sure taking him back because he’s now fucked it up TWICE with her, and she mentally thinks, I shouldn’t, but does anyway. Girl…what the actual fuck. Want more for yourself!!! Why are we settling for this pussy ass bitch?!?!!? He must be really hot or have a magic dick because truly I can’t wrap my brain around why the fuck she’d want him. Then it time jumps to next faire, 11 months later, and the fuckers are ALREADY ENGAGED!!!! Like are we joking?!?!??!!? I cannot facepalm hard enough. I’m glad she’s the faire’s reigning queen and she’s great at it, I’m glad she stayed here since it’s clearly what she wanted, I just wish we got more, I’m just annoyed.
While I loved every moment with the past leads, truly the queen gag led to some excellent moments of each of our ladies and especially their boys lighting up getting to see their ladies all dolled up. There were also sweet moments and good advice from all of them. But I do fear this came at the expense of Caitlin’s actually friends. She has two friends, a girl and guy, both queer to show the guy isn’t a romantic threat and the girl is already in a relationship to not need a future book, but they just weren’t developed at all. I wish we had more moments of her opening up to them and helping her, they don’t do much. They tell her to fuck with Alex and then approve of Alex out of nowhere, it’s ridiculous. Also with this being Caitlin’s book, I was bummed with how little of April there was! She met Alex once in passing and otherwise almost nothing. She has one great moment after Alex fucked it all up that she basically says fuck him and that if he doesn’t want Caitlin for who she is he isn’t worth her time, and truly there it fucking is. But then she conspires with Emily to trap her with Alex, so I kind of hate it all over again. I just feel like there was no growth from anyone and Caitlin’s decision making was so juvenile and weak, I was continuously disappointed that she let this man treat her like garbage and would go crawling back to him after he gave her no reason to believe he was worthy. I just think this relationship needed restructuring. We needed a real reason for why Alex broke it off or to make it less callous and more mutual. I wish he actually spent time showing her all the beautiful things about faire and she got to honestly fall in love with it while getting to know current day Alex and fall for him as well. I wish he were less of a loser and actually did ANYTHING to earn this new position. Like he took a shit job to keep himself afloat or stayed with the faire people until he got his necessary teaching degrees to actually be able to do this job etc. At least with Daniel I believe he has enough brain ability to take care of his family and figured out the financial logistics to keep their business afloat. I don’t believe Alex can take care of anyone and he quite literally hasn’t proven he can! Even at the 11 month mark, he’s proposed, but technically STILL hasn’t taught a day in his life so bought a fucking engagement ring with his parents money, I’m assuming. He’s just a 28-year-old child who hasn’t worked a day in his fucking life or earned anything he’s gotten, it’s depressing.
The only reason it’s as high as it is, I just love the rest of these characters, this world, and this imaginary faire. In terms of the culmination of this series it had some really sweet callbacks and I loved how much all the leads are featured, truly each of them get at least a few great moments and it was lovely to be back with them. As I said, having just been to the MD faire, the day trip Alex and Caitlin took was so fun and I particularly loved Caitlin getting inspired by the bookstore and having Emily incorporate that for the future, especially since that was where we met Jen IRL so not only did she capture it perfectly, it was cool to have seen that utilized. I also laughed at all the MD mentions, like crab pretzels and old bay on fries (which as a Philly girl, they may have invented it, but Chickie and Pete’s perfected it, fight me). Just like book 2, everything OTHER than the main romance was honestly a blast, it just bums out how the worst part of a ROMANCE book is the damn romance, like c’mon Jen we’re better than this. I’m just left feeling pretty deflated, it’s nowhere near the quality I know she’s capable of, just another dud. Not the worst she’s ever done, but nowhere near the best.
I’m just disappointed. I adore this series and even with the worst of the series (cough book 2) I still came out positive. And after how excellent book 4 was ending on such a high, I’m so bummed to officially end this series in such a pathetic whimper. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nowhere near as bad as her worst (fuck you GHOST BUSINESS), but I was hoping by returning to faire we’d channel her best. I wanted another Mitch, Simon, or Dex, but depressingly we got another Daniel. He’s a pathetic loser, he sucks from the moment he’s introduced, and doesn’t really get better. I wanted more for her, but alas.
What bums me out is as per usual, I adore everything around this romance. It was wonderful to be back with all our past leads, they’re all beautifully highlighted, I had a blast being back in this world. Having quite literally recently attended the MD faire to meet Jen and get this book, it was also so sweet to see how lovingly she captured that trip as well. I enjoyed Caitlin’s personal arc, I’m just mad about how she is romantically. Often when you move back home you can regress into the kid you used to be, but I didn’t expect it to be so literal. I feared there wouldn’t be enough of a time jump for her to grow up, and while Caitlin technically is 24, she often acts like a teenager. I liked the symmetry of her being the same age as Emily was in WELL MET, but while Emily had dumb moments, even she wasn’t as childish. The amount of time I was begging her to grow a spine and stand up for herself. She bends over backwards and settles for this wimpy loser. I don’t understand why the two FMCs who have every right to rip into their men are the ones who don’t so they end up learning nothing. I’m sad we had to finish it off with such a bottom tier love interest. I recommend to people that love this series and are less judgemental than me, but otherwise know that you’re getting another Daniel book aka a subpar romantic plot that makes the FMC worse and brings down an overall fun story. I’ll continue to read JD’s books hoping she can recapture the magic, but I fear to hope.
SPOILERS FROM HERE ON
To quite LITERALLY quote Catlin, ‘I was hoping he would be my Mitch, and instead he’s my dad’ AKA she ended up with a pussy ass bitch. I didn’t like Alex from the moment he was introduced. They hooked up back when she was 17 and he was 20, teetering on the edge of being inappropriate, the ONLY reason I give them a pass is Caitlin was graduated and to me as soon as you graduate you’re in college so I’ll give it a tentative ok. Plus she’s 17 going on 18, pretty sure her birthday is in September, so it’s not TOO bad. But basically he was her first love and they were swept up. Come first or second month into her freshman year, dude dumps her OVER TEXT with nothing further. Next faire he’s all over somer rando wenches and she’s so heartbroken she refuses to come back to faire and changes her major. Now, it’s a good change. She changes it from Shakespeare (which not sure that’s a real major? Pretty sure she’d have to major in English Lit with a concentration in Shakespeare) which is a dead end major that would get her NOWHERE to Computer Science. Trust me, I WISH I had been interested in something as practical as computer science, I WISH I could work for IT, especially since those are the most remote jobs that pay bank, so I think she most definitely made the correct choice. But the fact she did it for a man, like she let a dude ruin her life that much, someone she had been dating for only a few months, even if it were her first love, that’s insane. She never got closure and while she hooked up since, she never had a real relationship after him. I do wish this was fleshed out more with her relationship with her dad. We knew from April’s book how much her dad fucking sucked and unsurprisingly after Caitlin AGAIN offered him an olive branch, they’ve had basically zero contact since. So I wished her fears of abandonment was triggered by Alex tying into why it upset her so much, but alas.
I’m trying to give Alex the benefit of the doubt that there had to be a good reason, but I was ticked off this dude had the gal to be shocked that Caitlin was angry, did you honestly think after breaking her heart that she’d be happy to see you?! I loved her being mean to him, he deserved it, but dude keeps acting like a hurt puppy until eventually cornering her to hash it out. Turns out, he had ZERO reason to dump her. His friends talked him into having a summer fling, so that was the plan with Caitlin. Luckily he wasn’t SO much of a piece of shit to sleep with her, especially with her being so young, but then he got swept up in them and realized he really did like her. Now he’s back at school and his friends say, ‘um I think you missed the point of a fling’ and peer pressure him to break up with her so he does. That’s it, he’s a fucking loser that instead of listening to how he actually feels he dumps her OVER TEXT because his friends told him to. He’s a spineless loser. He blames it on her saying she’s ‘too young’ which is also rude as hell. She was young, but she wasn’t THAT young! And she later even says he was right to do so, NO HE WASN’T! Have a real reason like long distance or to enjoy their time at college or ANYTHING. Have the courage to at least call her if you can’t go see her in person! Also it’s never explained if he were casually fucking the randos she saw, she may have projected onto him, but he never confirms or denies. Then he has this token she gave him back in the day, a ring, he STILL wears on a chain as a reminder to ‘treat hearts better’ and I couldn’t roll my eyes hard enough. When she accused of him of breaking her heart and he said, ‘I broke my own’ oh fuck off, YOU DID THIS!! But sure, they were young and dumb, he feels badly about it and especially hates that he’s the reason she hates faire. So he decides if he can’t make her fall for him, he’ll try to get her to fall back in love with faire.
I actually love that idea if it were AT ALL what he did. I would’ve loved if this were more like how Mitch showed April to fall in love with Willow Creek or how Dex allowed Lu to finally relax and open herself up to less structure. And it started this way, Alex showed her this peaceful clearing and got her a daily rose that matched her outfit, but that was it. Literally that’s all he fucking did. He could’ve got her involved in his Shakespeare show or sang her a song earlier than the final one (I did like the song he wrote for her, it was cheesy shit that she said older her appreciated, which no, you’re not wiser, you’re just smitten again so not viewing it through heartbreak, you’re right back to being naive), I wanted more flirting with her at the chess match/in costume (he takes over the chess match when Mitch got hurt, and there was one good moments, but give me more), or HE was the one who told her she should be queen! So there’s this, honestly hilarious, running gag that they need a new queen. Chris, the one who ran the bookstore with Emily who was their longtime queen, has sadly required so they’ve been finding patchwork solutions. It was blatant from basically chapter one that it would be Caitlin, she literally says the dress is fitted for someone tall like her and she’s so used to be a lady-in-waiting she knows all the duties, plus she teaches the three others how to do it. But it was a fun gag to see our past FMCs do it, Emily, then Stacy, and then Lu before Caitlin inevitably steps up. But how Alex isn’t the one to show her this and the one to remind her how much she loves this place as utterly baffling. Then after literally one day after they hashed it out and all he did was show her the clearing and get her a rose, they have a moment at the end of the day he chickens out on and SHE has to chase him down. Why the FUCK is she doing anything?!!? This dude is the one who has to woo her!! It was WAY too early for them to kiss!! And then her friends jokingly say she should fuck him for funzies and then dump him, which I think is cruel, but we all know she’d never do that. And with still no more effort in him getting her to love faire or actual wooing, he’s coming over to bang her brains out.
Their smut is annoyingly good, JD’s always written great smut, but theirs was really good and it happened really early, but my issue is it just doesn’t feel earned. I still don’t like him! Caitlin lets him back in so easily and now they’re just dating. And she still mentally thinks she’s leaving here eventually, she ends up getting an interview with a great job in NYC which at the beginning of the month (yes this all takes place over about 4 weeks) is her dream, but now she’s not sure. And through all this Alex takes another page from the Daniel handbook in lying to her by not telling her this was always his last season at faire and he’s moving back to Ohio. So why the fuck is he trying so hard to win her back over if you know there’s no future?!! And SHE’S the one who asks if there’s a chance they could at least TRY long distance?!?! Why is he so useless??? And to add to his patheticness, this is where I believe he’s worse than Daniel, he has to stop faire because his parents have been bankrolling his life this entire time. Which I legit reacted like ‘yeah no shit’ because EVERYONE who lives the faire life has another job, but not this fucker. And he tried to live like Stacey and Daniel, but they have a musical group where they can get money from merch and CD sales and Daniel is actually a great planner who was able to turn this into a living. Alex worked for a sword dueling show that slowly dissipated until he create this improv Shakespeare show and has quite literally only stayed afloat with the goodness of his parents. So literally when he takes to a hotel to fuck for his ‘last day there’ I was like, with whose money!?! NOT YOURS!! And they, fairly, are like, honey this isn’t a real life, and aren’t even just cutting him off, he’s going back to OH to work for his father’s insurance company!! HE HAS A JOB LINED UP! And sure, he’s a dreamer, poet romantic and he shits on a 9-5, oh poor little rich boy has to go work for daddy’s company, grow the fuck up. And what irritated me is the perfect job FALLS into their fucking laps. Mitch tells Caitlin that the drama teacher at the high school is retiring after this year and I’m like, well no shit that’s perfect for Alex. Except dude has zero degrees or license, but this is a book so it’ll all work out somehow. Caitlin literally TRIES to tell him and that’s when he bites off her head and calls her a corporate drone for being all right with a regular job, genuinely fuck him!! Wanting stability and a normal paying job does not make her a drone or a corporate shill! And not that he cares to ask her, but the girl has already decided she doesn’t fucking want that and fairly clams up when he lashes out at her. And when she leaves THE DUDE DOESN’T EVEN FIGHT FOR HER!!! I WAS SO MAD!!
I knew Caitlin’s arc would lead her to staying Willow Creek and tbh I love that for her. She never hated it here and once she realized she only hated faire because of one douchebag, she realized how much she loved this place and people. Plus she fell back into working with Emily at the bookstore (which Chris conveniently gave to Emily), so it was clear that was the answer. Hell, if my aunt had a cute local bookstore that I could easily work with her at, I would too! So she steps into the job that Emily got at WELL MET which somehow gives her health insurance and enough money to afford her own place, but whatever I liked it. TBH this book would be really well written if the romantic arc Caitlin went on was learning to value herself and that she deserves more from the men in her life. I also was hoping she’d learn to value Mitch as her stepfather, I was endlessly pissed she constantly said he wasn’t, I get she was graduating when he got with her mom, but that man adores her and has been for her all book!! I was expecting her to recognize how much he cared about her, but nope never happened (in fact she STILL extended another olive branch by the end, girl’s learned nothing). I was relieved she chose to stay here for herself, but then it kind of back tracked on it by having her immediately upset realizing this would never fully be her dream without Alex. Girl, buck up!!!
I just wanted her to stand up for herself more and I cannot believe she let this fucker do the exact same thing AGAIN! Just like the first time they hooked up he wooed her with flowery bullshit, and real flowers, built up her dreams of baseless romance, only to immediately flake out and fuck her over. There wasn’t much book left, but I was waiting for this asshole to do anything. When her mom was being all weird and pressuring her to move out, I was like, nah somethings going on, and when Emily was cagey about her getting a place now, I’m like Alex is at that apartment complex, sigh. You know what I didn’t expect? That the fucker STOLE her apartment!!! There was only a single one bedroom left, the rest were studios, and that mother fucker swooped in and stole it from her!! And again, WITH WHAT FUCKING MONEY?!?!!?! So he of course is taking that teacher job and just flippantly says he’ll get whatever certification he needs to do this since they said this is the teacher’s final year, and he tells this to his parents who just wanted him to settle down and are all too happy to clearly help bankroll this as well!!! Because there’s no mention of him at least getting a part time job to pay for his schooling or new apartment, nope none of that, but again, he STOLE her place so now she has to take the tiny studio apartment!! HOW IS THAT FAIR?!! I’m glad they aren’t just moving in together, but wtf!! And this fucker says, I didn’t realized I could have a stable job AND you, and I was relieved she shouted ‘YOU DIDN’T LET ME’, but then immediately softens at his bullshit proclimation that she’s all he wanted and getting this job and faire in the summer was the best of both worlds, since, uh, when?!! That was how it was for her, but he never came to this conclusion!! I wish he did ANYTHING to earn this!!! And even worse, he never left, he just stayed at Emily and Simon’s (Simon clearly grew close to him doing the chess match and has affection for him for how much he clearly loves faire), causing her own fucking family to lie to her which is fucked, and then steals her fucking apartment to beg her to take him back. He just sucks!!! He does nothing to earn this job, it just conveniently fell into his lap, same as with Caitlin. He even asks if she’s sure taking him back because he’s now fucked it up TWICE with her, and she mentally thinks, I shouldn’t, but does anyway. Girl…what the actual fuck. Want more for yourself!!! Why are we settling for this pussy ass bitch?!?!!? He must be really hot or have a magic dick because truly I can’t wrap my brain around why the fuck she’d want him. Then it time jumps to next faire, 11 months later, and the fuckers are ALREADY ENGAGED!!!! Like are we joking?!?!??!!? I cannot facepalm hard enough. I’m glad she’s the faire’s reigning queen and she’s great at it, I’m glad she stayed here since it’s clearly what she wanted, I just wish we got more, I’m just annoyed.
While I loved every moment with the past leads, truly the queen gag led to some excellent moments of each of our ladies and especially their boys lighting up getting to see their ladies all dolled up. There were also sweet moments and good advice from all of them. But I do fear this came at the expense of Caitlin’s actually friends. She has two friends, a girl and guy, both queer to show the guy isn’t a romantic threat and the girl is already in a relationship to not need a future book, but they just weren’t developed at all. I wish we had more moments of her opening up to them and helping her, they don’t do much. They tell her to fuck with Alex and then approve of Alex out of nowhere, it’s ridiculous. Also with this being Caitlin’s book, I was bummed with how little of April there was! She met Alex once in passing and otherwise almost nothing. She has one great moment after Alex fucked it all up that she basically says fuck him and that if he doesn’t want Caitlin for who she is he isn’t worth her time, and truly there it fucking is. But then she conspires with Emily to trap her with Alex, so I kind of hate it all over again. I just feel like there was no growth from anyone and Caitlin’s decision making was so juvenile and weak, I was continuously disappointed that she let this man treat her like garbage and would go crawling back to him after he gave her no reason to believe he was worthy. I just think this relationship needed restructuring. We needed a real reason for why Alex broke it off or to make it less callous and more mutual. I wish he actually spent time showing her all the beautiful things about faire and she got to honestly fall in love with it while getting to know current day Alex and fall for him as well. I wish he were less of a loser and actually did ANYTHING to earn this new position. Like he took a shit job to keep himself afloat or stayed with the faire people until he got his necessary teaching degrees to actually be able to do this job etc. At least with Daniel I believe he has enough brain ability to take care of his family and figured out the financial logistics to keep their business afloat. I don’t believe Alex can take care of anyone and he quite literally hasn’t proven he can! Even at the 11 month mark, he’s proposed, but technically STILL hasn’t taught a day in his life so bought a fucking engagement ring with his parents money, I’m assuming. He’s just a 28-year-old child who hasn’t worked a day in his fucking life or earned anything he’s gotten, it’s depressing.
The only reason it’s as high as it is, I just love the rest of these characters, this world, and this imaginary faire. In terms of the culmination of this series it had some really sweet callbacks and I loved how much all the leads are featured, truly each of them get at least a few great moments and it was lovely to be back with them. As I said, having just been to the MD faire, the day trip Alex and Caitlin took was so fun and I particularly loved Caitlin getting inspired by the bookstore and having Emily incorporate that for the future, especially since that was where we met Jen IRL so not only did she capture it perfectly, it was cool to have seen that utilized. I also laughed at all the MD mentions, like crab pretzels and old bay on fries (which as a Philly girl, they may have invented it, but Chickie and Pete’s perfected it, fight me). Just like book 2, everything OTHER than the main romance was honestly a blast, it just bums out how the worst part of a ROMANCE book is the damn romance, like c’mon Jen we’re better than this. I’m just left feeling pretty deflated, it’s nowhere near the quality I know she’s capable of, just another dud. Not the worst she’s ever done, but nowhere near the best.
Currently Reading
April 8, 2026TAKE MY MONEY NOW!!! This is one of the first RomCom series I got hooked on back in 2021 and truly got me into loving romance novels as much as I still do today.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Rating: 4.5 Stars
She thought she had left Willow Creek, but after losing her job, Caitlin returns to her childhood home to regroup. She may have said goodbye to the Ren Faire life after having her heart broken, but the Ren Faire wasn't done with her...and neither was Alex.
I am so happy that Jen DeLuca decided to return to this world! I had a marvelous time catching up with all the prior couples while getting to meet Caitlin all grown up. Everything that made me fall in love with the people of Willow Creek and the faire was omnipresent, and I loved the way DeLuca wove all the past couples into the story while also allowing Caitlin and Alex to take center stage.
The romance was definitely a big attraction, and I was a fan of this couple. It had been seven years since Alex and Cait's whirlwind romance. Caitlin had stars in her eyes that last summer before college, and though he didn't want to, Alex was more attached to Caitlin than he wanted to be. But for "reasons", he broke her heart, and that left Caitlin with tainted memories of the faire. This time around, they were older, wiser, and both at a crossroads in their lives. I was glad they had this second chance, and I was thrilled with the futures they found together.
The romance may have been center stage, but Caitlin's personal journey was a big draw. She was still pretty young and experiencing a big setback to her "plan", but the layoff seemed heaven sent. This forced break pushed Caitlin to reflect on her lift, her wants, her needs, and her future. It made her face her disappointments and make a plan for something bigger, better. It also let her return to some things and people she missed which made her life bigger and better.
Overall: I was overjoyed to return to the world and get the opportunity to experience the faire once again.
*ARC provided by publisher
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*ARC provided by publisher
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
She thought she had left Willow Creek, but after losing her job, Caitlin returns to her childhood home to regroup. She may have said goodbye to the Ren Faire life after having her heart broken, but the Ren Faire wasn't done with her...and neither was Alex.
I am so happy that Jen DeLuca decided to return to this world! I had a marvelous time catching up with all the prior couples while getting to meet Caitlin all grown up. Everything that made me fall in love with the people of Willow Creek and the faire was omnipresent, and I loved the way DeLuca wove all the past couples into the story while also allowing Caitlin and Alex to take center stage.
The romance was definitely a big attraction, and I was a fan of this couple. It had been seven years since Alex and Cait's whirlwind romance. Caitlin had stars in her eyes that last summer before college, and though he didn't want to, Alex was more attached to Caitlin than he wanted to be. But for "reasons", he broke her heart, and that left Caitlin with tainted memories of the faire. This time around, they were older, wiser, and both at a crossroads in their lives. I was glad they had this second chance, and I was thrilled with the futures they found together.
The romance may have been center stage, but Caitlin's personal journey was a big draw. She was still pretty young and experiencing a big setback to her "plan", but the layoff seemed heaven sent. This forced break pushed Caitlin to reflect on her lift, her wants, her needs, and her future. It made her face her disappointments and make a plan for something bigger, better. It also let her return to some things and people she missed which made her life bigger and better.
Overall: I was overjoyed to return to the world and get the opportunity to experience the faire once again.
*ARC provided by publisher
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
*ARC provided by publisher
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
June 22, 2026
I am absolutely head over leather lace up medieval appropriate sandals about this series and I was so excited to see another iteration of this world. Reader, I was a tinch disappointed. I have loved every single book in this series, I love this world, I love the setting, but this story felt a bit too long for what was actually going on. There was too much back and forth between Caitlin and Alex that felt very repetitive with little forward motion so I got a little tired.
The scenes where conversations and flirting and attention was happening were great. I loved seeing Alex work with Simon and get to know the other people and family in this world. I loved how it all ended up and I think with a bit of editing this could have easily been a 4-5 star book for me and a lot of times with me, less is more. Show me the emotions and I'll fall in line, I don't need 12 extra scenes with the same lack of communication and internal monologue longing. I would not stop you from reading this book especially if you love the series, but I would temper your expectations.
The scenes where conversations and flirting and attention was happening were great. I loved seeing Alex work with Simon and get to know the other people and family in this world. I loved how it all ended up and I think with a bit of editing this could have easily been a 4-5 star book for me and a lot of times with me, less is more. Show me the emotions and I'll fall in line, I don't need 12 extra scenes with the same lack of communication and internal monologue longing. I would not stop you from reading this book especially if you love the series, but I would temper your expectations.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an eARC of this book. Thoughts and opinions are my own.I liked getting to be back in the Well Met world. This was a great way to kind of bring things full circle and wrap up the series with a bow.
I will admit that Caitlin was a little frustrating. She was 24 but she spent a lot of time still acting like that dumb teenager. And here's the thing, teenagers are always dumb. It's just a fact of life. They think they know everything but they don't. And that's fine. Or it would have been if Caitlin was still a teenager for this book. But she's 24 and she's moaning and groaning about how she changed her major because Alex was also in the young and dumb phase, even though he was a couple years older and he hurt her. And yes, he could have handled it better, but he even admitted that and it's a different issue. I did like the fact that Caitlin realized what she really wanted, and that it wasn't the office job in New York. She was able to find her way and it was interesting to see her come to her realizations.
Alex was interesting. It was clear he was interested but also felt guilty and seeing him through Caitlin's eyes didn't help. But I did like how he tried to bring that magic back for her, even when he thought they were both moving on. And he did apologize too. Again, yes, he could have handled things better back then, but also, people make mistakes, especially when there's any kind of pressure or they're maybe confused or even afraid of their feelings. I loved the way he started sending roses and he was color-coding them. That was super cute.
I loved getting to see the previous couples and it made me want to go back and read/re-read the rest of the series (started it a while ago and got derailed for some reason). I liked that in their own ways, all those couples and their respective stories helped Caitlin realize what she actually wanted. And how they all banded together to help out. Although that was clear in the previous books anyway.
Now onto a couple of spoilery type things:
Book releases September 22nd, 2026
September 29, 2026
I have very mixed emotions about this, I think.
On one hand, I was very excited to revisit Willow Creek and all the characters I loved in the first 4 books. And this book being about Caitlin? Very promising.
One the other hand, ten years is a very realistic timeframe for this book, but sometimes it just felt weird. There's no other time jump that would've made this better, so I'm glad it was ten years. But something was missing for me and I think it's that in those last 10 years since the book ended, we never heard of Alex since he happened after the rest of the series. I would've liked to have had something that eluded to him, or even a quick mention of this "relationship" Caitlin had with him before diving into this with a new character.
Loved getting to know what other characters were up to, I thought the ending was perfectly sweet. HOWEVER my one aggravation was that HE STOLE HER ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT FROM HER (not really but you get it) AND THEN DIDNT OFFER TO SWITCH WITH HER (chivalry, as we know it, is dead).
The roses were cute tho idk so i guess it's fine. Went very back and forth on whether or not I liked Alex, which was great. Jen DeLuca is so good at making me feel what I'm supposed to feel about people in terms of character development. Although Caitlin annoyed me at times, in the same ways Lulu did in Well Traveled, so idk about that.
Overall, I liked this, it was cute and a little nostalgic, but at the same time it felt like it was missing something I expected from the other books. 3 stars feels safe. Not bad by any standard, but not as amazing as the others for me.
On one hand, I was very excited to revisit Willow Creek and all the characters I loved in the first 4 books. And this book being about Caitlin? Very promising.
One the other hand, ten years is a very realistic timeframe for this book, but sometimes it just felt weird. There's no other time jump that would've made this better, so I'm glad it was ten years. But something was missing for me and I think it's that in those last 10 years since the book ended, we never heard of Alex since he happened after the rest of the series. I would've liked to have had something that eluded to him, or even a quick mention of this "relationship" Caitlin had with him before diving into this with a new character.
Loved getting to know what other characters were up to, I thought the ending was perfectly sweet. HOWEVER my one aggravation was that HE STOLE HER ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT FROM HER (not really but you get it) AND THEN DIDNT OFFER TO SWITCH WITH HER (chivalry, as we know it, is dead).
The roses were cute tho idk so i guess it's fine. Went very back and forth on whether or not I liked Alex, which was great. Jen DeLuca is so good at making me feel what I'm supposed to feel about people in terms of character development. Although Caitlin annoyed me at times, in the same ways Lulu did in Well Traveled, so idk about that.
Overall, I liked this, it was cute and a little nostalgic, but at the same time it felt like it was missing something I expected from the other books. 3 stars feels safe. Not bad by any standard, but not as amazing as the others for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I really loved this final bonus book in the Well Met series that has us returning to the world of small town Ren Faires and watching Alex and Caitlin get a second chance at love. Both MCs are trying to figure out their next steps in life and sort of using this last season to reminisce on the past. While musician Alex is struggling with leaving the Faire season, Caitlin wanted no part in coming back or giving him a second chance. Despite that she finds herself falling in love with both again. Filled with found family vibes, lots of Shakespearean romance and cameos from some of my fav former characters. This was also excellent on audio narrated by my fav, Brittany Pressley. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.
September 27, 2026
As a theatre kid, I really enjoyed and appreciated Well Versed by Jen DeLuca. That warm, almost magical feeling of being on stage or performing is something that stays with you even after you’ve grown up. The story started a little slow for me, but once it picked up, I was completely swept into the Renaissance charm and wonder of it all. And while the romance of the book was wonderful, my favorite was reading about all the characters and how they were finding themselves throughout the book. This story made me want to find the nearest Ren Faire immediately!
September 27, 2026
Another beautiful love letter to ren faires. Just going to browse Pinterest and see what I can make so I can run away and start a ren faire stall.
September 30, 2026
The perfect closure to the Well Met series! Seeing Caitlyn as a grown up was fun, though I do wish she behaved a little more as she did when she was younger. It was also hard to believe Alexander was the one who got away but I liked his attempt to woo her back into loving the ren faire. All the past characters show up to make this book what it was, an enjoyable ending.
September 25, 2026
This was so cute and such a great read for rennfest season! Extra bonus for getting it at the MD Rennfest and getting Jen’s signature! HUZZAH!
October 4, 2026
This was a good book.
I have a soft spot for Renaissance Faires and this book was very well done.
2nd chance trope
I read the 5th book first, but will go back and gladly read the other 4
I have a soft spot for Renaissance Faires and this book was very well done.
2nd chance trope
I read the 5th book first, but will go back and gladly read the other 4
May 6, 2026
I love this series! This one had some foreshadowing that made the plot almost too predictable but it didn’t bother me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Well Versed is the fifth book in the Well Met series! I’ve adored this series ever since the first book, Well Met, so I was really excited to see Caitlin all grown up and getting her own story. I had mixed feelings about this book. I loved getting to revisit the couples from the previous books and seeing how their relationships have progressed. Returning to the Willow Creek Ren Faire was also wonderfully nostalgic. However, I found Caitlin’s attitude to be pretty immature. It wasn’t until the book mentioned that Emily (the heroine of Well Met) was 24, the same age Caitlin is now, that I realized just how much more mature Emily seemed in comparison. I’m not sure if it’s partly because the older adults in Caitlin’s life still treat her like a child, combined with her own immaturity, but I had a hard time seeing her as an adult. There was also a bit too much of Caitlin’s inner monologue for me and some of the repeated miscommunication started to get old. I would have loved to see more of Caitlin and Alex’s initial interactions compared to where they are now. I think that would have given us a better understanding of both characters especially since we don’t get Alex’s perspective. Overall, it was nice to return to the Willow Creek Ren Faire and I think fans of Well Met will enjoy revisiting this world and its characters.
Thank you Berkley Romance & PRH Audio for the free copy.
Thank you Berkley Romance & PRH Audio for the free copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 stars
Thank you Berkley for the gifted eARC.
NOT QUITE.
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Unfortunately, this didn’t have the same vibes as the first four books in this series (all of which I adored). What was interesting was that this was the first book I’ve ever read with the FMC having the same name (and spelled the same) as mine. So that was wild.
What was frustrating to me is that Caitlin acted younger than 24 even though she kept referencing that she was an adult now. The fact she swore off love over Alex didn’t make sense to me. It seemed like an over reaction and that was an immediate turn off.
I did like the banter and chemistry between Alex and Caitlin when they were both just being sweet with each other. There’s a good handful of out of pocket commentary from Caitlin but it can be ignored, mostly. It was fun being at the Ren Fest again and seeing all of the romances from the previous books too.
They are definitely a couple that needed a little more communication but the entire book wasn’t a wash. It’s a good summer romance and it ends sweetly so all in all, I’m not mad I read it.
Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: moderate
- Romance: 3ish open door
- Violence: low
Thank you Berkley for the gifted eARC.
NOT QUITE.
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Unfortunately, this didn’t have the same vibes as the first four books in this series (all of which I adored). What was interesting was that this was the first book I’ve ever read with the FMC having the same name (and spelled the same) as mine. So that was wild.
What was frustrating to me is that Caitlin acted younger than 24 even though she kept referencing that she was an adult now. The fact she swore off love over Alex didn’t make sense to me. It seemed like an over reaction and that was an immediate turn off.
I did like the banter and chemistry between Alex and Caitlin when they were both just being sweet with each other. There’s a good handful of out of pocket commentary from Caitlin but it can be ignored, mostly. It was fun being at the Ren Fest again and seeing all of the romances from the previous books too.
They are definitely a couple that needed a little more communication but the entire book wasn’t a wash. It’s a good summer romance and it ends sweetly so all in all, I’m not mad I read it.
Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: moderate
- Romance: 3ish open door
- Violence: low
May 6, 2026
Truly can’t believe his is our last trip to the Willow Creek ren faire. I’m emotional! This series has meant so much to me and it feels almost kismet that the last book stars a main character who grew with the series (like me) and shares my name.
I loved this book so much. I’m always a sucker for second chance romance, and this book was no exception. This was swoony in all of the right places and I loved being in Caitlin’s head as she got to know Alex again and they reckoned with their past. Plus all the nods to the previous books and all of the other couples showing up? This is my personal crossover of the century. I didn’t want to put this book down! (Also Alex’s crop tops. Hot! Enough said!
I especially love how this book ends. I won’t give any spoilers, but I felt like all the pieces came together in the best way. Thank you, Jen DeLuca, for writing my fave romance series ever!! Bravo!
I loved this book so much. I’m always a sucker for second chance romance, and this book was no exception. This was swoony in all of the right places and I loved being in Caitlin’s head as she got to know Alex again and they reckoned with their past. Plus all the nods to the previous books and all of the other couples showing up? This is my personal crossover of the century. I didn’t want to put this book down! (Also Alex’s crop tops. Hot! Enough said!
I especially love how this book ends. I won’t give any spoilers, but I felt like all the pieces came together in the best way. Thank you, Jen DeLuca, for writing my fave romance series ever!! Bravo!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Huzzah! I'm so happy WELL VERSED brought me back to the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire! This time we're following Caitlin through her return to faire after a long hiatus. She'd sworn off summers of swords and song and swoons after her faire fling broke her heart, but her family needs her help filling in the role sheet to keep the show running smoothly. Caitlin may want to guard her heart extra carefully while she's subbing in because her former flame is in town and determined to woo her back.
Ah the romance of faire! Caitlin was fighting a losing battle from the very start. She's got the dust of those shaded lanes in her blood. The words of The Bard tattooed on her heart. Then Alex arrives determined to rekindle her passion for the magic and earn her favor once again ... she really never stood a chance.
I will say though that much of the romance felt surface level. There were grand gestures and miscommunications resolved, but I think much of their love is informed by their past. I didn't see them sharing deep emotional intimacy on page. Physical, yes, that was hot, but I was missing their connection in the present especially outside of faire magic.
Also, I have criticisms of Caitlin's nepo baby deux ex machina (her aunt) job opportunity to resolve the "should I stay or should I go" crisis she has. How does an indie bookstore offer health care to its employees? Must be a family perk. All that to say, I think faire magic rolled over into Caitlin's real world emphasizing how these books are fantasy escapism treats.
Overall, I recommend WELL VERSED to both new and returning readers. The supporting cast is filled with our beloved long-time favorites and it was good to catch up with their lives. But it's Caitlin and the next gen's time to shine as main characters, and faire and I are happy to have them.
Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for the advance copy to read and review.
Ah the romance of faire! Caitlin was fighting a losing battle from the very start. She's got the dust of those shaded lanes in her blood. The words of The Bard tattooed on her heart. Then Alex arrives determined to rekindle her passion for the magic and earn her favor once again ... she really never stood a chance.
I will say though that much of the romance felt surface level. There were grand gestures and miscommunications resolved, but I think much of their love is informed by their past. I didn't see them sharing deep emotional intimacy on page. Physical, yes, that was hot, but I was missing their connection in the present especially outside of faire magic.
Also, I have criticisms of Caitlin's nepo baby deux ex machina (her aunt) job opportunity to resolve the "should I stay or should I go" crisis she has. How does an indie bookstore offer health care to its employees? Must be a family perk. All that to say, I think faire magic rolled over into Caitlin's real world emphasizing how these books are fantasy escapism treats.
Overall, I recommend WELL VERSED to both new and returning readers. The supporting cast is filled with our beloved long-time favorites and it was good to catch up with their lives. But it's Caitlin and the next gen's time to shine as main characters, and faire and I are happy to have them.
Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for the advance copy to read and review.
September 23, 2026
3.75 stars. This was a really cute book! Well Versed is the fifth book in this series and is Alex and Caitlin's second chance love story. Caitlin recently moved back home after a break up and and job change. She is staying with her mom while she tries to regroup and find a new job. She finds herself drawn back into working at the Renaissance Fair for the summer. Being a part of the fair was a part of her teenage years and where her mom met her stepfather. It holds a lot of good memories for her, but some of those memories were tainted, when her first love Alex broke her heart, and she didn't return to the fair for years. Alex considered their relationship a summer fling at the time and didn't realize how much he cared for Caitlin until he broke up with her. Now she feels a little bitter to be back working at the Fair with Alex again. As they meet again, Caitlin is willing to forgive him and they decide to give their summer fling another try, going in with open eyes that it is just for the summer. But once again, they find their feelings for each other growing stronger every day. Can they find a way to turn their summer fling into forever?
The books in this series have been on my radar a while, but I didn't realize how much fun a book set at a Renaissance Fair would be. This story was sweet, romantic and fun. I liked Alex and Caitlin. They did feel a little young still at 24/26 years old and were still trying to figure out who they are as adults. Alex hurt Caitlin several times and felt a little untrustworthy that he wouldn't break her heart again. But I liked their story in general and enjoyed how much they learned and and grew together. The Ren Fair setting, fun costumes and Shakespeare touches were especially enjoyable. Overall, this was a good story, and an entertaining, nostalgic, romantic and sweet read. I need to go back and catch up on the other books in this series as well.
*arc provided via netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
The books in this series have been on my radar a while, but I didn't realize how much fun a book set at a Renaissance Fair would be. This story was sweet, romantic and fun. I liked Alex and Caitlin. They did feel a little young still at 24/26 years old and were still trying to figure out who they are as adults. Alex hurt Caitlin several times and felt a little untrustworthy that he wouldn't break her heart again. But I liked their story in general and enjoyed how much they learned and and grew together. The Ren Fair setting, fun costumes and Shakespeare touches were especially enjoyable. Overall, this was a good story, and an entertaining, nostalgic, romantic and sweet read. I need to go back and catch up on the other books in this series as well.
*arc provided via netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
August 14, 2026
Oh man how I love Jen DeLuca’s world of Willow Creek, Maryland!
In preparation for my interview with Jen, I read this book in nearly one sitting in the pool, and wow what a spectacular use of my hours. It was beautiful and heartfelt and made me giggle and kick my feet.
“Well Versed” follows Caitlin, who readers first met in the first book in DeLuca’s “Well Met” series as a 15-year-old who is desperate to volunteer at the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire. Now, ten years later in real life and the world of Willow Brook, Caitlin is back — for now. She’s jobless, adrift, and back in her childhood bedroom at 24 years old wondering how she got here. She used to be a romantic, to believe in love and Shakespeare and the magic of the faire. Now, she doesn’t believe in anything, most especially love.
When she finds out her first love is at the faire, too, she thinks she can handle being around him. It’s only four weekends, right? And Caitlin’s not the young girl who met and fell in love with Alex seven years ago. She’s older, wiser, and not letting him get close to her heart this time.
But what if this time, they’re falling in love as who they are, not who they were?
I will fully admit, I was a little skeptical about this premise. We learn so much about Caitlin throughout the four books leading up to “Well Versed,” but in every single one, it always feels like she’s the little kid, no matter what age. But I have to say, I should not have doubted Jen DeLuca’s ability to create a story with such a beloved character. Somehow, the depth of Caitlin and having Alex be her first love and then meeting so many years later surrounded by the people who love and have been falling in love all around her with the ren faire as the backdrop was perfect.
This is a second chance romance with characters in the messy early years of adulthood, and I loved it.
And if this is goodbye to Willow Brook, all that’s left to say is this: Thank you, Jen — huzzah!
In preparation for my interview with Jen, I read this book in nearly one sitting in the pool, and wow what a spectacular use of my hours. It was beautiful and heartfelt and made me giggle and kick my feet.
“Well Versed” follows Caitlin, who readers first met in the first book in DeLuca’s “Well Met” series as a 15-year-old who is desperate to volunteer at the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire. Now, ten years later in real life and the world of Willow Brook, Caitlin is back — for now. She’s jobless, adrift, and back in her childhood bedroom at 24 years old wondering how she got here. She used to be a romantic, to believe in love and Shakespeare and the magic of the faire. Now, she doesn’t believe in anything, most especially love.
When she finds out her first love is at the faire, too, she thinks she can handle being around him. It’s only four weekends, right? And Caitlin’s not the young girl who met and fell in love with Alex seven years ago. She’s older, wiser, and not letting him get close to her heart this time.
But what if this time, they’re falling in love as who they are, not who they were?
I will fully admit, I was a little skeptical about this premise. We learn so much about Caitlin throughout the four books leading up to “Well Versed,” but in every single one, it always feels like she’s the little kid, no matter what age. But I have to say, I should not have doubted Jen DeLuca’s ability to create a story with such a beloved character. Somehow, the depth of Caitlin and having Alex be her first love and then meeting so many years later surrounded by the people who love and have been falling in love all around her with the ren faire as the backdrop was perfect.
This is a second chance romance with characters in the messy early years of adulthood, and I loved it.
And if this is goodbye to Willow Brook, all that’s left to say is this: Thank you, Jen — huzzah!
September 9, 2026
Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the complementary advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I can't even begin to explain how happy I was to be finally sinking back into this series. Well Met was one of the first romances I ever picked up, and being deep into the COVID pandemic made it a bright spot in a terrifying world. I loved escaping into the small town of Willow Creek, rife with ridiculous characters who stepped into a renaissance faire world each summer, and became one with the past - at least until the end of each weekend - before they'd start all over again.
I've devoured every book in this series and was so sad when (I thought!) it ended with the last one. Now getting Caitlin's story was everything I didn't know I needed. I loved that she came back, not as the little kid with stars in her eyes, but as an adult woman who lost the magical viewpoint she held when she was younger. Seeing Alex slowly bring that joy for the faire back to her as they worked the event all summer and fell for each other again was the perfect amount of past heartbreak and current yearning blending into one.
I loved that she was stubborn and jaded, and yet was still open to remembering what she loved about the faire and her town, and what Alex inspired in her when they were younger. I adored his dedication to winning her over, and how forthright he was about his intentions this time around. It was a great mix of swoony moments, cameo's by other characters in previous books, and ample nostalgia for a series that's come to mean so much to me. I also loved the continuous thread of both Caitlin and Alex needing to find who they are, and how that bled into the faire as well.
All in all, this was the perfect conclusion to the series, and I can't wait to see what else the author writes!
I can't even begin to explain how happy I was to be finally sinking back into this series. Well Met was one of the first romances I ever picked up, and being deep into the COVID pandemic made it a bright spot in a terrifying world. I loved escaping into the small town of Willow Creek, rife with ridiculous characters who stepped into a renaissance faire world each summer, and became one with the past - at least until the end of each weekend - before they'd start all over again.
I've devoured every book in this series and was so sad when (I thought!) it ended with the last one. Now getting Caitlin's story was everything I didn't know I needed. I loved that she came back, not as the little kid with stars in her eyes, but as an adult woman who lost the magical viewpoint she held when she was younger. Seeing Alex slowly bring that joy for the faire back to her as they worked the event all summer and fell for each other again was the perfect amount of past heartbreak and current yearning blending into one.
I loved that she was stubborn and jaded, and yet was still open to remembering what she loved about the faire and her town, and what Alex inspired in her when they were younger. I adored his dedication to winning her over, and how forthright he was about his intentions this time around. It was a great mix of swoony moments, cameo's by other characters in previous books, and ample nostalgia for a series that's come to mean so much to me. I also loved the continuous thread of both Caitlin and Alex needing to find who they are, and how that bled into the faire as well.
All in all, this was the perfect conclusion to the series, and I can't wait to see what else the author writes!
September 22, 2026
Alex broke Caitlin’s heart six years ago at the summer Renaissance Faire. Now, after getting laid off, Caitlin is back home and gets roped into helping out at the Faire—where Alex has also just returned.
I really liked the premise of this one and was excited to read it. It’s part of a larger series, and I think readers who have read the previous books will especially enjoy getting to revisit these characters and see where they are now. I loved the Renaissance Faire setting and the idea of a second-chance romance playing out in a place that holds so much history for Alex and Caitlin. I also really enjoyed Alex trying to recapture the magic of the Faire for Caitlin and could definitely feel that the chemistry and feelings were still there between them.
However, there were a few things that didn’t quite work for me. I wanted a little more yearning from both of them, as well as more groveling from Alex. I also felt like there was a lot happening throughout the story, but at the same time, the plot didn’t always feel like it was moving forward. Alex and Caitlin unfortunately still came across as somewhat juvenile despite being in their mid-twenties, and their constant miscommunication and repetitive back-and-forth made their romance less compelling for me.
All in all, I think readers who enjoyed the previous books in the series will really like this one, especially getting to see these characters all grown up and revisit some familiar favourites from the past. Readers who enjoy second-chance romance or a Renaissance Faire setting will also likely have a great time with this one!
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
I really liked the premise of this one and was excited to read it. It’s part of a larger series, and I think readers who have read the previous books will especially enjoy getting to revisit these characters and see where they are now. I loved the Renaissance Faire setting and the idea of a second-chance romance playing out in a place that holds so much history for Alex and Caitlin. I also really enjoyed Alex trying to recapture the magic of the Faire for Caitlin and could definitely feel that the chemistry and feelings were still there between them.
However, there were a few things that didn’t quite work for me. I wanted a little more yearning from both of them, as well as more groveling from Alex. I also felt like there was a lot happening throughout the story, but at the same time, the plot didn’t always feel like it was moving forward. Alex and Caitlin unfortunately still came across as somewhat juvenile despite being in their mid-twenties, and their constant miscommunication and repetitive back-and-forth made their romance less compelling for me.
All in all, I think readers who enjoyed the previous books in the series will really like this one, especially getting to see these characters all grown up and revisit some familiar favourites from the past. Readers who enjoy second-chance romance or a Renaissance Faire setting will also likely have a great time with this one!
Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
October 1, 2026
Thank god this one felt like the well met series I know and love. Book one is still my favorite, but this one was pretty solid! It had that addictive element, where I just wanted to keep reading, and the Ren Faire vibes were back in full force. I wasn't totally sure how I'd feel about the second chance romance part, but I actually thought it was done fairly well. Alex really showed that he felt remorse for his decision and went out of his way to make it up to Caitlin which I really appreciated. Was the reason still a little silly? Yeah, but they were young so I'm giving them a pass. Unlike other second chance romances, there were no flashbacks in this one, but enough of the backstory is given that it doesn't feel like a huge gap. I would have liked a bit more of their backstory, as I think it would have strengthened their connection, but I was overall pretty satisfied
There were only a couple things that didn't fully work for me. First, some little details felt like the author was retconning certain details. It doesn't blatantly go against what was previously established, but a character would be like "oh yeah that was true but here's a reason it's different now". A couple were necessary for plot points, but why not work around what you've previously written? It's a small thing but it bugged me. I also wasn't crazy about the ending. It was definitely one of the better third act break-ups, and by now I knew it was coming, but it really didn't emotionally impact me the way it was intended to. I would have loved instead to see the characters really work through the barriers keeping them apart rather than having a fight rife with miscommunication
There were only a couple things that didn't fully work for me. First, some little details felt like the author was retconning certain details. It doesn't blatantly go against what was previously established, but a character would be like "oh yeah that was true but here's a reason it's different now". A couple were necessary for plot points, but why not work around what you've previously written? It's a small thing but it bugged me. I also wasn't crazy about the ending. It was definitely one of the better third act break-ups, and by now I knew it was coming, but it really didn't emotionally impact me the way it was intended to. I would have loved instead to see the characters really work through the barriers keeping them apart rather than having a fight rife with miscommunication
September 21, 2026
Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy; all thoughts are my own!
📖 Book Review 📖 I was so lucky to go to a crunchy high school where performing at the Maryland Renaissance Festival was just a part of our weekend. While my Washerwoman's Branle is a little rusty, I could probably bust out the moves and embarrass my teenagers…
This was my first Jen DeLuca book outside of the Boneyard Keys series (which I will adore to my grave), and I absolutely devoured it! I’m a little baffled that I missed the first four in this series but that just means it is time to go back and catch up!
Well-Versed brings the merriment of the Renn Faire to readers in a second romance that is relatably fun. So even if you don’t have a chance to make it to your own Willow Creek Renaissance Faire this year (I miss you, Revel Grove), Jen DeLuca’s latest is a real gem to enjoy this autumn!
📖 Book Review 📖 I was so lucky to go to a crunchy high school where performing at the Maryland Renaissance Festival was just a part of our weekend. While my Washerwoman's Branle is a little rusty, I could probably bust out the moves and embarrass my teenagers…
This was my first Jen DeLuca book outside of the Boneyard Keys series (which I will adore to my grave), and I absolutely devoured it! I’m a little baffled that I missed the first four in this series but that just means it is time to go back and catch up!
Well-Versed brings the merriment of the Renn Faire to readers in a second romance that is relatably fun. So even if you don’t have a chance to make it to your own Willow Creek Renaissance Faire this year (I miss you, Revel Grove), Jen DeLuca’s latest is a real gem to enjoy this autumn!
August 15, 2026
i have loved this series from the beginning, so there was no way i was going to miss this one.
i love love loved caitlin and alex. they're both passionate, loyal, and looking for something. together they have loads of history and a sweet second chance, set around this slice of time. added bonus: seeing all of the previous couples.
plot wise, it was so fun being back at the faire. the pacing is a slow meandering with light tension. the conflict is resolved quickly and while I wanted just a bit more from the epilogue, it's mostly me being greedy.
overall, getting caitlin's story felt full circle. I really hope there's more to this series, but if this is the last book, I'm truly satisfied.
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
i love love loved caitlin and alex. they're both passionate, loyal, and looking for something. together they have loads of history and a sweet second chance, set around this slice of time. added bonus: seeing all of the previous couples.
plot wise, it was so fun being back at the faire. the pacing is a slow meandering with light tension. the conflict is resolved quickly and while I wanted just a bit more from the epilogue, it's mostly me being greedy.
overall, getting caitlin's story felt full circle. I really hope there's more to this series, but if this is the last book, I'm truly satisfied.
**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**
September 28, 2026
I read this right before going to the NY Ren Faire, and it definitely helped bring the vibes to life. I loved being back in Willow Creek with these characters, and I'm so glad Jen gave us Caitlin's story. I didn't actually think Alex was a great MMC, especially in comparison to the other men in the series. There was a lot of back and forth between them, and it was hard to believe that there was actually relationship development. I also thought there was a lot of repetition without any action, and I just wanted more from the two main characters. Overall, I still thought the book was cute, but it wasn't my favorite in the series.
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