3.5 because I love Lulu and am super in love with this series, but am feeling so-so on the Dex development. 

This entire series makes me miss my local Ren faire (which I sincerely wish was a little more like Willow Creek) and long for summer every time I so much as look at one of the covers (which are very cute).  

That said this one wasn't the homerun that I was hoping it would be. Spoilers for how I felt about Dex's characterization.

Dex, while attractive and interesting, didn't really seem to earn the redemption he got in this book. I mean, don't get me wrong, I think his relationship with Lulu showed a lot of growth here, and I'm all for sex-positivity, but it just seems like he got bored with hook ups rather than really putting much work into the "I want to be an equal partner in a long term relationship" Dex that we got in the end. With it being from Lulu's POV I know why we didn't see more of that, but it doesn't mean I'm fully happy with his character growth. Also a little more "I regret how I handled myself with the Stacey situation" could have gone a long way here rather than a short conversation between Stacey and Lulu that boiled down to "you wanted more than he was willing to give and you just feel weird about what your man did in the situation so you blame Dex" because gosh just Dex even for a moment saying something like "It's Stacey's story to tell, and while it all worked out, I wish I would have addressed her directly and been more up front with what our situation was" would have gone a long way towards me seeing him as a good guy.

I do love Lulu though, and her growth in this book is fantastic to see. We love seeing a woman get everything she wants and deserves in life. I felt very attached to her and I think a "stop giving your energy to something/ someone who doesn't give back to you" plot is always needed. I appreciate it every time it's part of a romance plot because I need to hear it and plenty of others do too. 

All said, I enjoyed this book. Lulu is great, I loved getting to know the kilts a little more, but I wish that Dex's character development was earned a little more.