Why am I passionate about this?

I am a romance author with a perpetual case of wanderlust. Though Iā€™m always up for a good road trip, my true passion is visiting other countries. Among my odd travel quirks are collecting hotel soaps (I have over 200 different ones!) and memorizing airline codes. Years ago, I worked as an archaeologist, and was lucky enough to travel through the Mediterranean and the Middle East. These days, Iā€™m more of an armchair traveler, which is why I love writing (and reading!) romances that transport me to a new location. 


I wrote

Field Rules

By Carla Luna,

Book cover of Field Rules

What is my book about?

Digging up the past takes on a whole new meaning when graduate student Olivia Sanchez is forced to team upā€¦

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Shipped

Carla Luna Why did I love this book?

Iā€™ve never been to the GalĆ”pagos Islands, but after reading Shipped, I wish I could afford to go! In this enemies-to-lovers romance, Henley and Graeme are office rivals who work for the same adventure travel company but have never met in person. When the opportunity for a promotion arises, their boss sends them both on a company cruise to the GalĆ”pagos archipelago, where theyā€™ll have to come up with the best marketing pitch for the area. This book has so much going for it: hilarious travel hijinks, sizzling sexual tension, and detailed descriptions that bring the islands to life. By the end of the book, I was convinced I needed to add this destination to my travel bucket list!

By Angie Hockman,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Shipped as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Named a Best Romance Book of 2021 by Entertainment Weekly * Goodreads * PopSugar * Marie Claire * Real Simple * Insider * Vulture * CNN * Bookreporter * BookBub * and more!ā€‹

The Unhoneymooners meets The Hating Game in this witty, clever, and swoonworthy novel following a workaholic marketing manager who is forced to go on a cruise with her arch-nemesis when theyā€™re up for the same promotion.

Between taking night classes for her MBA and her demanding day job at a cruise line, marketing manager Henley Evans barely has time for herself, let alone family, friends, or dating.ā€¦


Book cover of Float Plan

Carla Luna Why did I love this book?

Ever dream of going on an epic sailing voyage? Even though Iā€™ve only been sailing a few times, the lure of the open sea is hard to resist. In Float Plan, Anna embarks on a solo sailing trip through the Caribbean to honor her late fiancĆ©, who always dreamed of taking this trip. But when she runs into trouble early on, she hires Keaneā€”a cute Irish sailorā€”to help her out. As Anna and Keane travel though the Bahamas, visiting one gorgeous island after another, they slowly become friends, and then something more. Though this book does deal with grief and loss, itā€™s ultimately very uplifting, and the romance feels truly earned. Iā€™ve never vacationed in this part of the world, but this book made me long to visit these islands and kick back with a tropical drink. 

By Trish Doller,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Float Plan as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Since the loss of her fiance, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief - until a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take together. Impulsively, Anna goes to sea in their sailboat, intending to complete the voyage alone.

But after a treacherous night's sail, she realises she can't do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it's never too late to chart a new course.

Trish Doller'sā€¦


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Book cover of Dear Alderone

Dear Alderone by Ami Hendrickson,

Jera Fowler is hardly excited about having to keep a journal for ninth-grade English class. ā€œWhat can happen in a day?ā€ she grumps as she chronicles the 1984-85 school year. She doesnā€™t realize that a single day can be the dividing line between life and death. Forty years later, whileā€¦

Book cover of People We Meet on Vacation

Carla Luna Why did I love this book?

Iā€™m a sucker for a good friends-to-lovers romance, especially if gives off When Harry Met Sally vibes. Poppy and Alex have been friends since college. Despite being polar opposites, they share a passion for travel. So, every year, they take a vacation together, known as ā€œThe Summer Tripā€ā€”always in a different location, and always as ā€œjust friends.ā€ At the start of the book, they havenā€™t spoken for two years, so Poppy makes a last-ditch effort to reconcile with Alex via a jaunt to Palm Springs. The trip does not go as expected, which makes for some truly hilarious scenes! I loved the way the narrative alternated between past and present, weaving together the history of this couple, with delightful flashbacks of their previous trips, including New Orleans, San Francisco, Tuscany, and Croatia.

By Emily Henry,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked People We Meet on Vacation as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers and Beach Read comes a sparkling novel that will leave you with the warm, hazy afterglow usually reserved for the best vacations.

Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love.

Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. Sheā€™s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most ofā€¦


Book cover of Something Wilder

Carla Luna Why did I love this book?

Years ago, my family took an unforgettable road trip to Utah to visit all the National Parks there. Something Wilder was the perfect way to revisit this area. In this adventure-romance, Lily Wilder, daughter of the late treasure-hunter Duke Wilder, spends her days leading tourist expeditions on horseback through the beautiful red rock canyons of Utah. When she gets saddled (literally) with her ex on one of these trips, they not only rekindle their feelings for each other, but also get caught up in a treasure hunt with some nasty villains. Not only were the descriptions of canyon country breathtaking, but the puzzles and plot twists in the story reminded me of National Treasure, but with a romance that was far more satisfying. 

By Christina Lauren,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Something Wilder as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The ā€œreigning romance queensā€ (PopSugar) and New York Times bestselling authors of The Soulmate Equation and The Unhoneymooners present a charming and laugh-out-loud funny novel filled with adventure, treasure, and, of course, love.

Growing up the daughter of notorious treasure hunter and absentee father Duke Wilder left Lily without much patience for the professionā€¦or much money in the bank. But Lily is nothing if not resourceful, and now uses Dukeā€™s coveted hand-drawn maps to guide tourists on fake treasure hunts through the red rock canyons of Utah. It pays the bills but doesnā€™t leave enough to fulfill her dream ofā€¦


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Book cover of Through Any Window

Through Any Window by Deb Richardson-Moore,

Riley Masterson has moved to Greenbrier, SC, anxious to escape the chaos that has overwhelmed her life.

Questioned in a murder in Alabama, she has spent eighteen months under suspicion by a sheriffā€™s office, unable to make an arrest. But things in gentrifying Greenbrier are not as they seem. Asā€¦

Book cover of Heart and Seoul

Carla Luna Why did I love this book?

In 2021, my son spent a semester abroad in Seoul. While he was there, I picked up this book to get a better feel for his experiences in South Korea. At the start of Heart and Seoul, Hara, a 25-year-old Korean-American woman, has just lost her adoptive father. His death prompts her to travel to Seoul to learn more about her birth parents, whom sheā€™s never met. Though the story includes a swoony love interest, what I enjoyed the most about Haraā€™s journey was the way she adapts to life in South Korea. The setting is so richly described that I got an amazing sense of Seoul as a vibrant city, filled with beautiful monuments, delicious street food, and quirky cafes. While the book is marketed as a romance, the love story isnā€™t fully resolved until the sequel, Seoulmates, which is equally enjoyable.   

By Jen Frederick,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Heart and Seoul as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One woman learns that the price of belonging is often steeper than expected in this heart-wrenching yet hopeful romantic novel and first in the Seoul duology by USA Today bestselling author Jen Frederick.

As a Korean adoptee, Hara Wilson doesnā€™t need anyone telling her she looks different from her white parents. She knows. Every time Hara looks in the mirror, sheā€™s reminded that she doesnā€™t look like anyone else in her familyā€”not her loving mother, Ellen; not her jerk of a father, Pat; and certainly not like Patā€™s new wife and new ā€œrealā€ son.

At the age of twenty-five, sheā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

Field Rules

By Carla Luna,

Book cover of Field Rules

What is my book about?

Digging up the past takes on a whole new meaning when graduate student Olivia Sanchez is forced to team up with her ex, Rick Langston, while working at an archaeological dig in Cyprus. Given that their last fling nearly led to their academic ruin, Olivia and Rick canā€™t afford to repeat their past mistakes. But as they work together under the scorching Mediterranean sun, the heat between them proves impossible to ignore.

Field Rules is the first book in the Romancing the Ruins trilogy, a romantic comedy series set in the world of archaeology.

Book cover of Shipped
Book cover of Float Plan
Book cover of People We Meet on Vacation

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