History & Criticism
![Jen DeLuca - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_jen_deluca.jpg)
Well Traveled
An Indie Next Pick
A December LibraryReads Pick
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?
A December LibraryReads Pick
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?
Editorial Reviews
"Well Traveled is a true comfort read. Jen DeLuca is at the top of her game with this delightfully charming romance that will wrap cosily around your heart and warm it through. Lovable characters and the marvellously rendered world of the Renaissance Fair make the novel feel so real, and so very enjoyable. I recommend it highly."-India Holton, national bestselling author of The League of Gentlewomen Witches
"Lulu may live to work, but she didn't have to work for me to love her. Jen DeLuca has done it again, crafting another heartfelt rom-com that will make the dreamers in all of us squeal with delight!"-Kosoko Jackson, author of I'm So Not Over You
"Charming, compassionate and romantic, Well Traveled is a rich return to the Renaissance Faire, full of the delightful details DeLuca delivers in every wonderful installment. We loved every lyrical moment of Lulu and Dex's journey-a full-hearted story of following the song in your heart and finding your own path."-Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of The Roughest Draft
"DeLuca has a steady hand with this duo's slow-burning chemistry, making their connection feel entirely earned. Fans and new readers alike will be drawn in."--Publishers Weekly
"Amid the unique setting and a stock of colorful side characters, both old and new, DeLuca's latest gives fans more of what they love about her popular series, which has particularly well-developed protagonists."--Library Journal
"Warm, sweet, and hopeful, Well Matched is about daring to come out of your shell and building the life you always wanted."-Helen Hoang, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Heart Principle
"This series is one of my ultimate comfort reads. I knew I'd adore April and Mitch together, but I didn't realize how deeply obsessed with them I'd be. Well Matched is for anyone whose life hasn't gone according to plan, and about all the joys that come with veering off course. Warm and witty, sweet and...
"Lulu may live to work, but she didn't have to work for me to love her. Jen DeLuca has done it again, crafting another heartfelt rom-com that will make the dreamers in all of us squeal with delight!"-Kosoko Jackson, author of I'm So Not Over You
"Charming, compassionate and romantic, Well Traveled is a rich return to the Renaissance Faire, full of the delightful details DeLuca delivers in every wonderful installment. We loved every lyrical moment of Lulu and Dex's journey-a full-hearted story of following the song in your heart and finding your own path."-Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of The Roughest Draft
"DeLuca has a steady hand with this duo's slow-burning chemistry, making their connection feel entirely earned. Fans and new readers alike will be drawn in."--Publishers Weekly
"Amid the unique setting and a stock of colorful side characters, both old and new, DeLuca's latest gives fans more of what they love about her popular series, which has particularly well-developed protagonists."--Library Journal
"Warm, sweet, and hopeful, Well Matched is about daring to come out of your shell and building the life you always wanted."-Helen Hoang, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Heart Principle
"This series is one of my ultimate comfort reads. I knew I'd adore April and Mitch together, but I didn't realize how deeply obsessed with them I'd be. Well Matched is for anyone whose life hasn't gone according to plan, and about all the joys that come with veering off course. Warm and witty, sweet and...
Short Excerpt Teaser
One
My phone rang for the fourth time that morning before I was through the gates of the Renaissance Faire. What was that one song called? "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked"? Ain't no rest for lawyers, either.
All I wanted was a break. A chance to breathe, while I waited in line for my turn to buy a ticket. But that wasn't in the cards for me, so when my phone buzzed from my back pocket I pulled it out, tapped the green button, and jammed it against my ear. "Nothing's changed in the last half hour," I snapped, my blood already close to the boiling point. "No, the transcript won't be ready till Monday. Yes, that's the soonest she can expedite it. No, I can't give you any more information than what's in the goddamn nine-page memo I emailed you at four o'clock this morning. Anything else?"
Silence. Wow. I'd finally stumped the Boston attorney who was the lead on this car accident case. But as the silence stretched on, my heart sank. I hadn't even looked at the caller ID, had I?
"Lulu?" The voice on the other end was elderly, tentative. Fuck.
"Grandma. Hi." I tried through sheer force of will to sink into the ground, all the way to the center of the earth if I could manage it. I cleared my throat hard, took a cleansing breath, and switched from Louisa Malone, Corporate Attorney, to Lulu Malone, Loving Granddaughter. "How's it going?" There. Much better. Much less sweary at the octogenarian.
"I'm fine, dear. I was just a little worried about you. It's been a couple weeks since you've called, and-"
"Oh, sh-crap, Grandma. I'm sorry." I pressed a hand to my forehead. No matter how busy I got, I always called my grandparents at least once a week. They were both in perfect health, but they were also in their eighties, living by themselves in the big old family house where they'd raised their kids. That house had a very long staircase and lots of hallways. Lots of places to fall. Nobody else in the Malone family seemed overly concerned about them, but I was. So I called. Every week, until now. Damn, I definitely needed a break.
"I'm sorry," I said again, but she was already on to other topics.
"Where are you?"
Such a good question. I was currently sandwiched between a woman in an enormous green-and-gold brocade gown and a man in a The Lord of the Rings-esque cloak with a sword strapped to his hip. So I settled for the easier answer. "North Carolina. Just for the weekend. We have this big product liability case. Someone was in a car crash, and they're suing the tire company. They sent me down here to take a deposition of one of the witnesses." It was a total waste of time, but I didn't tell her that. Besides, if I wanted to make partner, this was what I did. I took the bullshit assignments, and I did my best to be indispensable.
"Doesn't sound like you're in an office, though," Grandma said. "I hear music." She wasn't wrong; the sound of bagpipes floated on the breeze, and somewhere from inside the Faire a drum sounded like a distant heartbeat.
"That's because I'm not." I seized on the topic change eagerly as I took a few steps forward in line. Almost my turn now, so while I talked I dug in my bag for my wallet. "I'm at a Renaissance Faire. Like the one Mitch does. Remember? We went to see him last summer."
"Of course I remember. That was so much fun." Grandma sighed happily, and my heart swelled. I'd gone with Grandma and Grandpa up from their home in rural Virginia to small-town Maryland, where my cousin Mitch participated in a Renaissance Faire every summer. He wore a kilt, spoke with an exaggerated accent, and swung a sword around like an overgrown child having the time of his life. Grandma was a cheerful person to begin with, but the glee on her face while she watched her muscled grandson perform had been next level.
Sure enough . . . "Are there lots of kilts there?" she asked. "You know how I like those."
"Please tell me you're not thinking about your grandson in a kilt, Grandma. That's just weird."
She snorted. "Of course not. What's the matter with you, Louisa?"
"So many things." I dutifully looked around while her chuckle floated through the phone.
"You should see if those kilt boys are playing."
Ah. That's what she was thinking of: a musical group that we'd seen last summer. They had a name, but hell if I could remember it. The only thing I remembered was the way Grandma had waited in her seat for them like an elderly groupie. And the way they'd come right over to talk to her after the show, even doing a little flirting, making her blush right in front of my super-tolerant grandpa.
"I'm not sure if they're at this Faire, Grandma, but I'll keep an eye out." It was my turn at the ticket booth, and I...
My phone rang for the fourth time that morning before I was through the gates of the Renaissance Faire. What was that one song called? "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked"? Ain't no rest for lawyers, either.
All I wanted was a break. A chance to breathe, while I waited in line for my turn to buy a ticket. But that wasn't in the cards for me, so when my phone buzzed from my back pocket I pulled it out, tapped the green button, and jammed it against my ear. "Nothing's changed in the last half hour," I snapped, my blood already close to the boiling point. "No, the transcript won't be ready till Monday. Yes, that's the soonest she can expedite it. No, I can't give you any more information than what's in the goddamn nine-page memo I emailed you at four o'clock this morning. Anything else?"
Silence. Wow. I'd finally stumped the Boston attorney who was the lead on this car accident case. But as the silence stretched on, my heart sank. I hadn't even looked at the caller ID, had I?
"Lulu?" The voice on the other end was elderly, tentative. Fuck.
"Grandma. Hi." I tried through sheer force of will to sink into the ground, all the way to the center of the earth if I could manage it. I cleared my throat hard, took a cleansing breath, and switched from Louisa Malone, Corporate Attorney, to Lulu Malone, Loving Granddaughter. "How's it going?" There. Much better. Much less sweary at the octogenarian.
"I'm fine, dear. I was just a little worried about you. It's been a couple weeks since you've called, and-"
"Oh, sh-crap, Grandma. I'm sorry." I pressed a hand to my forehead. No matter how busy I got, I always called my grandparents at least once a week. They were both in perfect health, but they were also in their eighties, living by themselves in the big old family house where they'd raised their kids. That house had a very long staircase and lots of hallways. Lots of places to fall. Nobody else in the Malone family seemed overly concerned about them, but I was. So I called. Every week, until now. Damn, I definitely needed a break.
"I'm sorry," I said again, but she was already on to other topics.
"Where are you?"
Such a good question. I was currently sandwiched between a woman in an enormous green-and-gold brocade gown and a man in a The Lord of the Rings-esque cloak with a sword strapped to his hip. So I settled for the easier answer. "North Carolina. Just for the weekend. We have this big product liability case. Someone was in a car crash, and they're suing the tire company. They sent me down here to take a deposition of one of the witnesses." It was a total waste of time, but I didn't tell her that. Besides, if I wanted to make partner, this was what I did. I took the bullshit assignments, and I did my best to be indispensable.
"Doesn't sound like you're in an office, though," Grandma said. "I hear music." She wasn't wrong; the sound of bagpipes floated on the breeze, and somewhere from inside the Faire a drum sounded like a distant heartbeat.
"That's because I'm not." I seized on the topic change eagerly as I took a few steps forward in line. Almost my turn now, so while I talked I dug in my bag for my wallet. "I'm at a Renaissance Faire. Like the one Mitch does. Remember? We went to see him last summer."
"Of course I remember. That was so much fun." Grandma sighed happily, and my heart swelled. I'd gone with Grandma and Grandpa up from their home in rural Virginia to small-town Maryland, where my cousin Mitch participated in a Renaissance Faire every summer. He wore a kilt, spoke with an exaggerated accent, and swung a sword around like an overgrown child having the time of his life. Grandma was a cheerful person to begin with, but the glee on her face while she watched her muscled grandson perform had been next level.
Sure enough . . . "Are there lots of kilts there?" she asked. "You know how I like those."
"Please tell me you're not thinking about your grandson in a kilt, Grandma. That's just weird."
She snorted. "Of course not. What's the matter with you, Louisa?"
"So many things." I dutifully looked around while her chuckle floated through the phone.
"You should see if those kilt boys are playing."
Ah. That's what she was thinking of: a musical group that we'd seen last summer. They had a name, but hell if I could remember it. The only thing I remembered was the way Grandma had waited in her seat for them like an elderly groupie. And the way they'd come right over to talk to her after the show, even doing a little flirting, making her blush right in front of my super-tolerant grandpa.
"I'm not sure if they're at this Faire, Grandma, but I'll keep an eye out." It was my turn at the ticket booth, and I...
