The Book:
Well Matched by Jen Deluca (Well Met #3)
Published October 19, 2021 by Berkley
Date read: September 18, 2021
The Characters:
April
Mitch
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
The Plot (from Goodreads):
An accidentally in-love rom-com filled with Renaissance Faire flower crowns, kilts, corsets, and sword fights.
Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she’s decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell.
Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire–a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more “serious” career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what’s real and what’s been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship.
As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch’s family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch’s girlfriend again…something that doesn’t feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they’ve just been putting on an act. But when there’s the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans–and open her heart–for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.
The Review:
I feel like I’ve been waiting for this book forever! Fake dating + Mitch + April? I couldn’t be more excited. Those who have read this series from the beginning already know Mitch and April from the previous two books, and I was so excited to see them get together.
Unlike the previous two books, Well Matched didn’t 100% take place at the Ren Faire. It was about 50% of the way through the book that summer even started. While I love the Ren Faire scenes, it was cool to see a little more of these characters outside of their costumes. I loved the home renovation scenes.
April and Mitch seemed like the perfect fit. I love a fake dating trope, especially between two longtime friends. Their chemistry and banter was great!
One of my favorite things about the Well Met series is that we still get to see plenty of the past MC’s in the later books. I loved Emily and Stacey in the first two books, so I was glad they got a lot of airtime in Well Matched. Emily and April have put a lot of work into their relationship since Emily’s first summer in Willow Creek, and it’s great to see how their friendship has played out.
I wouldn’t recommend reading this book as a standalone. The reader gets a lot of the Ren Faire background and explanations from the previous books, and I think you’d be missing a lot to start with Well Matched.
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