All’s faire in like and war for two sworn foes who enjoy a harmless flirtation within a laugh-out-loud rom-com from debut author Jen DeLuca.

Emily knew now there will be strings attached when she relocated to the small town of Willow Creek, Maryland, for the summertime to help her sister recover from an accident, but who could anticipate getting roped into volunteering for the neighborhood Renaissance Faire alongside her teenaged niece? Or which the irritating and inscrutable schoolteacher responsible for about Well Met the volunteers would be so annoying that she discovers it impossible to avoid considering him?

The faire is Simon’s family legacy and from the start he makes clear he doesn’t have time for Emily’s lighthearted lifestyle, her oddball Shakespeare conspiracy theories, or her endless suggestions for new acts to shake things up. Yet for the faire grounds he becomes a different person, flirting openly with Emily when she’s in her uncovering wench’s costume. But can be this attraction real, or just area of the heroes they’re portraying?

This summer was only ever said to be a pit stop on the path 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.