I saw the latest book in this series quite a bit on my IG and honestly I fully admit that this sounded kinda silly. However, I needed something silly to shake off the pain that was The Little Stranger. I just wanted something that was easy to read and would put me in a good mood because The Little Stranger was slow and I felt myself going toward a reading rut so I saw this one and thought why not.
I downloaded the Audible version so I could listen to it at work and in the car. Something easy breezy and fun. The narrator was great and made the book really really enjoyable. I am happy to see that she also narrates the other books in the series (which I have downloaded all of them I might add!). The only thing I regret is that I didn’t also buy a physical copy of the book because it was so funny and enjoyable that I could easily have finished it in a day or two if I had a physical copy at home!
As noted, this one sounded a little odd-ballish. I mean a romance at a Renaissance faire??? Most like cos play romance just sounds weird right? Have you ever been to a Ren Faire? Well there is a big one in Arizona and I have been multiple times, while fun, it’t not exactly a place that screams hot romance. But hey I was willing to give this one a go and see how it went.
Summary
All’s faire in love and war for two sworn enemies who indulge in a harmless flirtation in a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author, Jen DeLuca.
Emily knew there would be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summer to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the local Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or that the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher in charge of the volunteers would be so annoying that she finds it impossible to stop thinking about him?
The faire is Simon’s family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn’t have time for Emily’s lighthearted approach to life, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet on the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting freely with Emily when she’s in her revealing wench’s costume. But is this attraction real, or just part of the characters they’re portraying?
This summer was only ever supposed to be a pit stop on the way to somewhere else for Emily, but soon she can’t seem to shake the fantasy of establishing something more with Simon, or a permanent home of her own in Willow Creek (summary from Goodreads)
Review
This book has one of the best first lines I’ve read in a long time—-‘I didn’t choose the wench life, the wench life chose me’. It’s so great and rally captured my attention. I was immediately drawn into the story and wanted to know more, not just about Emily but about Faire too. I loved that the book didn’t waste unnecessary time diving into Emily’s back story but rather jumped right in to things. The author really made Faire sound exciting and so cool! Like I was fully ready to put on a corset and serve beer in an English accent. The setting was perfect and I loved the characters. The Fare aspect while initially seemed silly, made this whole book. I thought it added a fun and carefree component to the story. Plus it added a layer to Simon and Emily’s romance that worked so so so well.
Simon and Emily had incredible chemistry and every time they interacted was charged with tension and heat. I loved it and really that first actual kiss was hot and I just loved how they fit together as a couple. I was also surprised how steamy this book was. I wasn’t ready for it to be so hot and steamy, not overly graphic but more than just a little making out at a Ren Faire. I thought it worked well and I really liked the balance of steamy chemistry and romance. Add that with a charming cast of characters and this made for a wonderful read and just what I needed to avoid a reading rut! And as I mentioned I ordered all the other books because the characters are all so fun and I can’t wait for their own HEA.
The only thing that I hard a hard time with was some of Emily’s insecurities. I felt like some of them were misplaced. I could understand her trust issues but her insecurities about her body seemed unjustified and unnecessary. There were times when I was rolling my eyes at Emily because it just seemed so out of character for her, but in general I loved her. This wasn’t enough to make me give this book a lower rating than 5 stars. I loved it and I cannot wait to binge all the books in the series. It’s funny (I laughed out loud in my office on more than one occasion), sexy, sweet, memorable, and unique. Not to mention I have never wanted a pirate more in my entire life than Captian Blackthrone! If you love romantic comedies with some heat this is the book for you. I adored it!
Book Info and Rating
Format: Audible Audio
Published: September 3rd 2019 by Berkley Books
Review copy provided by personal collection. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.
Rating: 5 stars
Genre: romance
The Lit Bitch 