Well Met: Styled By Books

OKAY, okay … confession. This isn’t really a Styled By Books post. Not in the way I typically define “Styled By Books,” which I sort of view as a book-ish twist on the concept of Disneybounding. That is, dressing in an outfit of everyday clothes that is inspired by and reflects the colors/look/feel of a book cover.

But when I read Well Met by Jen DeLuca a couple weeks before volunteering at my local renaissance faire, I knew I HAD to do a photo shoot!

Well Met is an absolutely charming adult rom-com that takes place at a renaissance faire (or ren faire, for short). My hubs & I not only attend our local ren faire every year, but the last couple years, we’ve also volunteered to work at it. Reading this book reminded me of everything I love about ren faire.

I was actually SUPER sick the day we took these photos, but this was the only day I had at faire with my friend Autumn on hand to take photos — so I sucked it up and posed for a few photos before driving home and collapsing into bed for three days straight.

I’m probably the only one who can tell I’m sick (the flushed complexion, the feverish sheen of sweat, my swollen glands) — but honestly, how could I NOT take photos with Well Met while at the ren faire in period garb. (Answer: I couldn’t! It had to be done!)

And YOU BET I roped my husband into a couple photos with me. (1) He was ALSO in period garb and (2) Well Met is a LOVE STORY. And we are two nerds in love, who ren faire every year together in full costume.

Look for Well Met in stores September 3rd. Here’s the full synopsis:

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.