Isn't It Romantic?

 

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Well Traveled by Jen DeLuca (Well Met #4)
Published by Berkley Books on December 6, 2022
Age/Genres: Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

The Renaissance Faire is on the move, and Lulu and Dex are along for the ride, in the next utterly charming rom-com from Jen DeLuca.

A high-powered attorney from a success-oriented family, Louisa "Lulu" Malone lives to work, and everything seems to be going right, until the day she realizes it’s all wrong. Lulu’s cousin Mitch introduced her to the world of Renaissance Faires, and when she spies one at a time just when she needs an escape, she leaps into the welcoming environment of turkey legs, taverns, and tarot readers. The only drawback? Dex MacLean: a guitarist with a killer smile, the Casanova of the Faire… and her traveling companion for the summer.

Dex has never had to work for much in his life, and why should he? Touring with his brothers as The Dueling Kilts is going great, and he always finds a woman at every Faire. But when Lulu proves indifferent to his many plaid charms and a shake-up threatens the fate of the band, Dex must confront something he never has before: his future.

Forced to spend days and nights together on the road, Lulu’s interest in the kilted bad boy grows as he shows her a side of himself no one else has seen. The stresses of her old lifestyle fade away as she learns to trust her intuition and follow her heart instead of her head. But when her time on the road is over, will Lulu go with her gut, or are she and Dex destined for separate paths?

Fed up with being taken advantage of and passed over for promotions she earned, Lulu quits her job and joins the Ren Faire. Little did she know it would be a life changing experience where she would find herself and true love.

It’s always a pleasure being back in the Well Met world, and I was delighted to discover Mitch’s cousin, Lulu, was our heroine. I have to say, I envied this fictional woman who was able to escape real life and immerse herself in the Renaissance Fair world. This departure gave her time to gain clarity regarding her future and commit to fulfilling her own goals, not those of others. It was a very satisfying personal journey, and I was pleased with the outcomes.

Along the way, Lulu made many friends and became an integral part of the Faire. She developed a deep friendship with Dex. I may have had some opinions about Dex from past books, but like Mitch, he was someone living in the boxes others put him in. There’s something heartbreaking about seeing people hide themselves in that way and give up trying to be really seen. I was elated that Lulu was able to see past that persona to the real Dex, and he was a lovely man.

Overall, this was a great addition to a series I adore. It was pleasure seeing Dex and Lulu go after the “more” they were seeking for themselves, and it was fantastic that they found it together.

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To Get To the Other Side by Kelly Ohlert
Published by Alcove Press on December 6, 2022
Age/Genres: Contemporary, Romance

Goodreads

Trixie isn’t exactly sure what she was thinking when she stopped her car in the middle of downtown Chicago, scooped up a chicken struggling to cross the road, and drove off… but she does know that she has to find a new home for herself and her new feathered friend. The landlord at her apartment doesn’t allow pets and has caught Trixie in one too many pet-smuggling attempts in the past.

Bear likes his quiet life with his close-knit family, who own a flower business, but he’s in for a rude awakening when his meddlesome sisters post an ad to rent the spare room in his simple home, without asking his permission. Still, when Trixie responds to the ad, he agrees to let her move in, despite immediate worries about keeping things platonic.

Determined to keep her new room, befriend Bear, and give her rescue chicken the care she deserves, Trixie fights to keep her walls up and resist her romantic feelings for Bear. However, it’s not long before the pair’s proximity and chicken parenting ignite flames that have Trixie and Bear testing the boundaries of their platonic ground rules. They have to figure out how to save a family business, pay for mounting vet bills, and navigate their own emotional baggage if they want to find the love that they all deserve.

How many times have you read about a meet-cute that involves a chicken crossing the road? Well, I can attest to this being a first for me, and I loved it. This was a rather adorable grumpy-sunshine romance. You had Trixie who was rainbows and ice cream with a touch of Snow White magic with the animals. Then you had Bear with little say and no desire to people.

But looks may have been deceiving, as both were hiding parts of themselves. Trixie’s parents raised her to hide any negative feelings. She had to be smiling and “on” all the time and believed that suppressing her emotions was the only way to get people to care about her. Bear’s biological father was a toxic male who made Bear ashamed of all the things he enjoyed or cared about. Though I appreciated the author taking on gender stereotypes, I sometimes felt that the inner monologues were a bit repetitive when the personal issues were already well established.

However, there were so many delightful things in this story, I was able to overlook it.

• Lots of laugh out loud moments
• Animal antics
• Pancakes
• Chick-Chick the chicken
• Bear’s family
• Lovable hero and heroine
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These two bonding over a chicken made me giddy, but I really loved seeing Trixie and Bear learning to trust and to be their true selves. A super sweet ending left me feeling lighthearted and happy, and I am looking forward to seeing what else Ohlert has in store for us.

*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

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