Love at the Fiesta Blitz Tour & Giveaway!!

Love at the Fiesta By Tif Marcelo , Mia Hopkins, Maida Malby, Liz Durano , Maan Gabriel , Elle Cruz , June Gray , Kaye Roxkwell, Cat Santos, Preslaysa Williams , Celeste Dador
Genre: Adult, Romance

Return to Hacienda Luz—the world of Pasko Na, My Love and Forevermore—as the beloved Moore family opens the gates once more for a dazzling Santacruzan Fiesta in the heart of Napa Valley.

For two vibrant days, the vineyard comes alive with music, food, pageantry, cultural traditions, and unforgettable moments beneath the spring sky. But amid the beauty and celebration, hearts are on the line.

Some will fall in love.
Some will fall back in love.
And some will risk it all for the love they’ve been waiting for.

From acclaimed and bestselling Filipino American authors comes Love at the Fiesta, a joyful romance anthology filled with family, longing, second chances, and love.

Featuring stories by the Kwentitas:
Cat Santos
Celeste Dador
Elle Cruz
June Gray
Kaye Rockwell
Liz Durano
Maan Gabriel
Maida Malby
Mia Hopkins
Preslaysa Williams
Tif Marcelo

Excerpts:

Maybe Next Year – June Gray

Blurb:
Bianca has always believed she’d find true love—and that the vineyard would be a part of it.
So when she brings her boyfriend to Hacienda Luz during the Santacruzan, she’s certain it will end in a proposal. Instead, she meets Julian, the man who feels like the right person… at the wrong time.
Over the next four years, fate keeps bringing them back to each other. Same place, same season, different choices. But their timing is never quite right, and it seems like the universe is determined to stand in their way.
This year, fate will bring them back to the vineyard once more.
The question is—will they finally choose each other?
Tropes: Right person, wrong time; Second chance romance
Heat:🔥🔥(closed door, sex is implied)
Excerpt:
Across the lobby, Julian stood, exactly as I remembered and somehow different all at once. His hair was shorter again, though a few strands fell across his forehead like he hadn’t bothered to tame them completely. He wore jeans and a light linen shirt, the sleeves rolled casually to his forearms.
He lifted a hand and mouthed, “Hi.”
“You’re here,” I said, my feet already carrying me across the lobby before my mind could catch up.
“I’m here.”
There was no awkward pause, no polite distance. I set my purse on my suitcase and reached for him, and then his arms were around me, warm and solid, pulling me with a sigh.
For a second, I stayed tucked in the hollow of his body, breathing him in.
“It’s good to see you,” he murmured into my hair.
“You too.” I pulled away and grinned up at him. “What are you doing up so late?”
“Waiting for you,” he said. “Where are you staying?”
“I’d planned on crashing on Lola Naty’s couch,” I said. “But I don’t want to wake her.”
Julian said nothing. He just watched me, waiting.
“So…” I hesitated, then pushed through the thudding in my chest. “I was hoping maybe I could stay with you tonight?” I raised my eyebrows, leaving it open for him to decide.
The corner of his mouth curved up as he reached for my luggage. “Are you sure?” he asked with a meaningful look.
I held his gaze. The past year had been about healing and rebuilding, about figuring out who I was again. I wasn’t completely over Adam; I wasn’t sure I ever would be. But I also knew this wasn’t about running from the past.
This was about taking a step toward something new.
“Yes,” I said, my voice steady, my eyes clear. “I’m sure.”

Rice – Mia Hopkins

Blurb:
An event planner and a martial arts instructor reunite unexpectedly one year after she ghosts him.
Content Notes:
Struggles with mental health and anxiety; Accidental death of a family member (off-page); Grief
Tropes:
One-night stand, second-chance romance
Heat Level:
🔥🔥🔥🔥 (explicit sex)
Excerpt:
“Look at us,” she whispered. They were wet up to their thighs. Their clothes and shoes were a mess of sand and seawater. Ace’s wet T-shirt clung to his torso. Pinky longed to strip it off him, to run her hands all over his skin.
“Guess we didn’t see that coming,” he said, breathless.
Overthinking was her specialty, but right now she didn’t allow herself to think at all. Pinky reached forward and placed her hands on his chest. She looked up at his lips. The wind almost carried away her whisper.
“Can I?”
Ace nodded slowly.
Blood rushing, she kissed him. A gust of cold wind whipped at them, but Ace’s lips were as warm and soft as she’d hoped. She tasted salt and smelled his skin—woodsy and clean, with something delicious in the background. Tea with honey. A gingersnap? No—hot salabat. Spicy and sweet.
When Ace finally closed his eyes, Pinky embraced him, and her brain lit up like a chandelier. She felt everything—his hands on her waist, the soft moan in his throat as she lightly pressed the tip of her tongue against his. He held her tightly, quieting her nerves but setting a fire deep inside her. The wind cut through her wet skirt and bit at her bare skin. The waves crashed. In the distance, seagulls called to each other, back and forth.
After a long, long time, Pinky broke their kiss. She snuggled against him and closed her eyes, overwhelmed with pleasure. His arms were cold, but his chest through the T-shirt was hot, and his heart was beating fast. They both could feel that he was hard as a rock, but he didn’t push himself against her. Horny, but polite—a refreshing combination.
“Do you…” she trailed off.
“Do I what?”
She winced. “Please don’t judge me.”
He stroked her hair. “I won’t.”
“Do you…live nearby?”

The Love of My Never Life – Maan Gabriel

Blurb:
Do not covet your sister’s man. It’s a rule as old as time.
Cindy has been in love with one boy, Dylan, since she was a teenager. But what was once a harmless crush has now become both a reason and an excuse to stay away not just from her sister, Laceley, but from her entire family.
Content Notes:
This story tackles sensitive issues. The author worked with a sensitivity reader. The plot was handled with meticulous care and close attention to a group that was referenced.
Tropes: Forbidden Love, Love Triangle, Falling for the Wrong Person, Childhood Crush
Heat Level: 🔥(kiss)
Excerpt:

Bring Back The Love – Tif Marcelo

Blurb:
Aaron and Emmy, of the East Coast Briones, cousins of the Moores, have been a duet, on stage as wedding singers and in life as a married couple for over two decades. But they’ve grown apart with their busy family and their now-fledgling family business. Summoned by Lola Naty to perform at Hacienda Luz’s Santacruzan Fiesta, they decide to hold off on their decision to separate until after the event. But finally alone on this much-needed trip, the two find their voices and rediscover their love for one another.
Content Notes:
Discussion of separation and divorce
Tropes:
Marriage in trouble
Heat Level:
🔥 (low heat)
Excerpt:
Two days of pretending.
That was all Emmy Briones had to endure. That shouldn’t be hard, right? After all, she’d done harder things in life while on stage as a wedding singer, as a mother to actual grownups, and as a wife in a twenty-two-year marriage that was in a weird stage of limbo.
Granted, it was two days under the watchful eye of the legendary Lola Naty, her husband’s grandmother and matriarch of the famous Hacienda Luz.
No big deal.
Emmy employed the box breathing she’d learned in couples therapy—because yes, she and Aaron were at that stage—and crossed over the threshold of Hacienda Luz while dragging their carry-ons, where the glimmer of the marble floors and the sparkle of the chandelier above took her breath away.
Already decorated for the fiesta, a traditional Santacruzan, the lobby was filled with multicolored flowers. People milled about, talking in hushed voices, many of whom wore shirts that bore the familiar logo of Hacienda Luz.
A step behind Aaron, she swallowed against the enormity of it all. Living in the DC area hadn’t exposed them to this grandeur on the daily, unlike the rest of the Briones and Moore families living in and around the Bay Area. Though she and Aaron had been engaged here, Emmy only kept up with the property’s happenings through social media posts from Aaron’s family.
At the remembrance of their engagement, of Aaron getting down on one knee and pledging his life to her, her chest welled with sorrow.
“Em.” In front of her, Aaron offered his hand. His brown eyes had a message in them, though she couldn’t quite discern his intent.
They’d been in sync, in their thoughts, in their hearts, and in their voices, until they weren’t.
Emmy was just hoping they could pull off this ruse, collect their fee, go back home to their life, and somehow move on from it. It was Aaron who was worried. That his family—specifically Lola Naty—would notice that she and he were not the happy couple everyone made them out to be.

King Of My Heart – Elle Cruz

Blurb:
An acrimonious divorce has left Avelyn tired of romance. To break out of her rut, she follows the wildest advice she’s ever heard and hires an escort to show her a good time. No strings—just fun without messy obligations.
Henry lives a double life as a church musical director and part-time escort. After nearly a decade in the escort game, he’s decided to call it quits. His last date happens to be with a woman who unexpectedly captures his heart.
When the two of them meet again as volunteers at the Santacruzan Fiesta, sparks fly once more. It’s up to Avelyn and Henry to overcome their fears of loss and failure to take a chance on what could be the greatest love of their lives.
Content Notes:
Problems with anxiety, Profanity, Mentions of divorce, Religious themes regarding Christianity and Catholicism
Tropes:
One-night stand, Fling to forever, Secret lovers
Heat Level:
🔥🔥🔥🔥 (explicit sex)
Excerpt:
“Do you ever think about it?”
I look at Avelyn. The last time I saw that heart-stopping expression, we ended up naked and tangled around one another.
“About what?” I ask softly.
“You know. That night.”
I draw in a soft hiss of breath.
“I do,” she mutters, her voice low for only the two of us to hear. “I’ve never done anything like that before, so I’m not sure what’s proper. Or if anything can ever be proper after this. I’m sure that other people… are a lot more experienced than me and they know how to separate their feelings. I was just wondering if we could revisit that. Uh, revisit what happened before.”
It’s like she’s speaking in some kind of code. I know she wants to be proper but there’s only one thing keeping me from sweeping her into my arms and kissing her until we’re drowning in each other once again.
“Avelyn,” I say, my voice almost a growl. “Just say it. Tell me what you want. You know I’ll give it to you.”
The innocent afternoon morphs into something else entirely. We’re balanced on a razor-thin precipice, barely separating our wants from our needs. All it’s going to take is the faintest whisper of a breeze to tip us over to a forbidden place—one I want to go back to again and again.

Check-In For Love – C.C. Dador

Blurb:
Heiress and C-suite Executive Evangeline DeLeon dreams of developing her own hotel brand, but her efforts to make a name for herself face steep challenges from her investors. After days without sleep and nonstop stress, Evangeline is sent on a personal errand for her Lola to deliver a package to Ben, the handsome owner of a small boutique inn — but on the way, after receiving damaging news, Evangeline’s memory short-circuits. When she arrives at the inn, she is mistaken for a pageant sagala, not the owner of the hotel, who will destroy Ben’s business.
Content Notes: Parents’ death (off page)
Tropes: Amnesia, office/workplace, rivals-to-lovers
Heat Level: 🔥🔥 (closed door, sex is implied)
Excerpt:

Rooted in Love – Cat Santos

Blurb:
My Titas have meddled too much this time. They promised to send me help for my food truck since my sous chef bailed on me at the last minute, but sending him was a terrible idea. Just because we were best friends as kids doesn’t mean we’re “meant to be”, as they keep saying. He wasn’t even here when I needed him the most last year. I need less matchmaking and more money-making this weekend.
Opening my food truck during the busy Santacruzan Fiesta is my chance to prove to my family that I’m not the same mess that ran home a year ago. But, if I have to be stuck working with someone in my tiny food truck, I guess an old friend is better than nothing, especially when he looks that good.
Content Notes: Reference to cheating, Struggles with mental health and anxiety
Tropes: Forced Proximity, Grumpy Sunshine, Friends to Lovers, Foodies, Happy for Now
Heat Level:🔥🔥🔥(open door)
Excerpt:
As if to tease me, she pulls her long, curly hair to the side and exposes her mango-ripe neck.
Coconut and vanilla. Cutting through all the savory scents, I smell her. I could find her with my eyes closed.
All I want to do is curl into her back and hold her, then flip her around and feast until she’s satisfied. Instead, I play the good boy and give her a wide berth.
“Been a while, Shar. It’s good to see you doing your thing like this.”
She cuts me with her glare and says, “Let’s just get through the day, okay?”
Well, that’s not what I expected.
Once we really get started, I don’t trust myself to stop if anyone comes nearby. Fists clench in my hair to expose my neck, and he tastes me like the last juicy mango of the season. It’s messy and primal, and he follows the drips down to my breasts. Even though we haven’t done this for years, our bodies can’t deny how well they belong together. Whenever he’s near me, I can’t hold back for long.
He remembers exactly how to get me there. He remembers exactly how I like to be savored.

Let Me Be The One – Kaye Rockwell

Blurb:
Yasmin Soriano spent the last two years isolating herself in grief. Now with Santacruzan preparations underway at Hacienda Luz, she feels obligated to return.
Angelo Makisig is in a rut. Ever since he moved to the Pacific Northwest, all he does is work, sleep, and repeat. Now all he wants is to spend some time in the sun with his dad and enjoy his vacation.
But fate has a funny way of bringing people together.
Throw in a meet-cute, a spontaneous road trip, meddling family members, and you have the recipe for the ultimate romance… right?
Content Notes:
Grief, loss of family members (off-page), depression, anxiety, explicit language
Tropes:
Forced Proximity, Self-Discovery, Stranded Strangers, Fated Mates
Heat Level:
🔥🔥🔥🔥 (explicit sex)
Excerpt:
“Again, I am so so so sorry.” I say again when Angelo comes back from changing his shirt.
It bears repeating. I spilled a third of my coffee on this stranger.
This handsome stranger, I might add. It’s been awhile since I’ve felt any sort of attraction towards someone let alone acknowledge it.
There’s something about Angelo. He seems oddly familiar. Like we’ve met or crossed paths before.
He pronounced his name like Ang-he-lo. It’s a common name in the Filipino community. Chances of us meeting are high especially in my line of work.
I guess in both careers, I’ve held. I was a nurse before Covid hit but after the pandemic, I decided to switch careers and have ventured into event planning. I may have met him at events I’ve planned or he may have visited the hospital I used to work at.
“You said it twice. No need to mention it again. Accidents happen.” He winks at me as he stuffs his stained sweater into the outside pocket of his backpack, “This one happens to be a happy one.”
I tilt my head, curious at his choice of wording.
“Happy?”
He shrugs as he sits back next to me. He angles his body so it faces mine and he grins when I mimic him.
We’re sitting a mere foot away from each other. Anyone walking by would think we came together as opposed to two strangers who just met due to one of them having a panic attack and spilling coffee on the other.
“Yes, happy.” He continues, his smile widening even further.
“How is wearing coffee on your back, a happy accident?”
“Let’s just put it this way. I will never wash my sweater.”
When I grimace, he laughs.
“Okay that sounded weird. Let me rephrase that. Because of the spilled coffee, you and I are having this conversation right now. Otherwise someone who looks like you would never give me the time of day.”
I fight back a grin because damn, he’s cute.
“Are you flirting with me at 8AM?”
“Come on. Gorgeous girl spills coffee on lonely boy at the airport. Classic meet cute.”

What Remains – Liz Durano

Blurb:
They lost each other in stages. Finding their way back will take the truth—all of it.
Eighteen months ago, Linden Everett accused her husband of cheating while he was deployed overseas. She was wrong. Now Gideon is home—a Marine Raider on the verge of retirement, back for their daughter’s Santacruzan and for the woman he never stopped loving.
But Linden’s mistake didn’t happen in a vacuum. Loving Gideon again means confronting the fear she inherited, the silence she chose, and the truth about why she believed the worst of a good man.
Content Notes: References to military combat deaths and grief, Consensual intimacy, Light power dynamics
Tropes: Second chance romance, Marriage in Trouble, Military Romance, Forced Proximity
Heat Level: 🔥🔥
Excerpt:
I’ve faced down insurgents in Fallujah. I’ve walked point through IED-laced Afghan dust, made the kind of split-second calls that can haunt a man for a lifetime. But nothing—nothing—scares me like pulling into Hacienda Luz today.
The sunlight beats down, bright and unfiltered, across terracotta roof tiles, vineyards spreading in sharp green lines toward distant, hazy blue mountains.
This is the kind of place Linden would have dragged me for a getaway when we were still us. She’d pack a basket, insist I taste wine, and I’d pretend I cared, just to see her laugh.
Eighteen months since I’ve seen Linden’s eyes.
I’ve seen the kids—school breaks at Mama’s, a few weekends when I could get leave, FaceTime calls that Royce always dominated and Terra mostly refused. But Linden made sure we were never in the same room. Drop-offs in the driveway, scheduling through Mama—she built a wall of logistics between us, and I let her. Eighteen months, two weeks, and three days since I looked my wife in the face.
My wife.

A Second Chance at Hacienda Luz – Preslaysa Williams

Blurb:
Sienna Soriano-Riley has built the perfect life among the rolling vineyards of Napa Valley, no longer feeling the sting of her college heartbreak. As the wedding coordinator at Hacienda Luz, she’s prepared for every crisis – except for the return of Carlos Alcántara.
Years ago, Carlos chose a journalism career over their future, leaving Sienna shattered. Now he’s back to cover the annual Santacruzan Fiesta. As they navigate the vibrant Filipino pageantry, their chemistry reignites under the California sun. Happily ever after could be in reach, but only if they confront their past and decide if their love is a story worth rewriting.
Content Notes: Divorce, colorism, Catholic themes
Tropes: Second chance romance, Slow burn
Heat Level: 🔥 (kiss)
Excerpt:

Too Sweet – Maida Malby

Blurb:
Charlie Aquino (29F) decides that the Hacienda Luz Santacruzan Fiesta will be her final hurrah in pageantry. She is ready to further her career in winemaking under the tutelage of her aunt, Vida Moore-Balmaseda. When she finds herself sharing a cottage with a Highlander Daddy named Jamie Fraser (44M), she is even more determined to stay. Now, all she has to do is convince him that she’s neither too young nor too sweet for him.
Tropes:
Age-gap, forced proximity, insta-lust, opposites attract
Content Notes:
Profanity, conversation about the death of a parent
Heat Level:
🔥🔥 (closed door, sex is implied)
Excerpt:
As she approached with her suitcase, the door to the left bedroom opened fully, and a man emerged–a tall, well-built, bearded, bare-chested, gray-sweatpants-wearing hottie.
Oh, hey. Daddy’s home.
The lyrics of Usher’s song, a favorite accompaniment to social media thirst-trap posts, played in her head as the smoking-hot specimen of peak manhood drew closer. His eyes, a deep cerulean blue, roamed all over her in frank assessment.
Charlie stood taller, placing her right foot in front and her left hand on her hip. The instinctive pose, honed over decades of pageantry, presented her in the best light despite her three-piece tracksuit and her fluffy slippers.
“You don’t look lost, so you must be the other occupant of the cottage,” he said in a deep voice that held a hint of an accent. His calloused oven mitt-sized hand grasped hers in a firm grip for a brief second before he let go and tucked it in his pocket. “I’m James Fraser.”

About the Author

Cat Santos writes diverse, small-town romance that takes you from swoon to spice in an afternoon. Her ENFJ mind thrived in her past career in event and wedding planning, and she’s happy to draw on her behind-the-scenes event shenanigans to create laugh-out-loud moments for her delightfully unhinged characters. Expect open doors (lots of them), swoony scenes, and happily ever afters. The roller coaster of a ride is packed into a 90-minute or less steamy book you can read before bed, and again when you wake up in the morning.

C.C. Dador writes heartwarming romances filled with big laughs, cozy vibes, and swoony (sometimes spicy) moments you’ll want to snuggle up with again and again. She was a finalist on the reality TV show America’s Next Great Author and serves as an advisor for SCBWI, a global writing community.
Her adult debut novel is Merry Ex-Mas. For her young adult books, she writes under the name Celeste Dador, including her YA debut, Stars, Stripes & Summer Nights, which was named one of Book Riot’s “Most Anticipated Books of 2026.” C.C. lives in the D.C. area and is a first-generation Filipino American. You can find her in local coffee shops or virtually at: celestedador.com or on Instagram @celestedador.

Elle Cruz is a writer of contemporary romance and fantasy. She has degrees in English and nursing. By day, she works in the medical industry, but at night, she writes swoon-worthy romance with plenty of heat and heart-warming moments. She published her first romance, HOW TO SURVIVE A MODERN-DAY FAIRY TALE, in 2021, and since then has self-published a novella and multiple stories for anthologies.

June Gray is the author of the bestselling Disarm series. She loves to tell stories that excite and enrage, that break the reader’s heart and put it back together again. June is a storyteller, a graphic designer, a fitness freak, and a dedicated fangirl. She was born in the Philippines, raised in Australia, and now calls the United States home.

Kaye Rockwell is a Romance Author who spent the majority of her childhood falling in love with fictional characters and daydreaming about her own Happily-Ever-After which eventually led to her writing her own love stories.
She has made it her mission to diversify bookshelves with Romance reads that are packed with just enough tension, swoony lines, lingering looks and riddled with life lessons that have you reaching for the tissue box.

Although she majored in Journalism, Liz Durano realized she preferred writing angst-filled emotional stories over news and ad copy. These days, Liz writes women’s fiction and contemporary romance (sometimes spicy, sometimes not). She lives in Los Angeles with her family and a spoiled-rotten rescue dog. You can learn more about Liz by signing up to her newsletter at https://lizdurano.com/subscribe/.

Maan Gabriel is a mom, wife, dreamer, writer, and advocate for women’s stories in literature. She earned her BA in communications from St. Scholastica’s College in Manila and MPS in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University. She has lived in Manila, Brussels, Dakar, and Mexico City. During the day, she works in strategic communications. Gabriel, along with her husband and son, currently calls suburban Washington, D.C. home.

Filipino American author Maida Malby crafts foodie, multicultural, and contemporary destination romance stories filled with heat, sizzle, spice, and a whole lot of love. She is a founding member of the Kwentitas, as well as an administrator and member of select writing groups and romance book clubs. Her To-Be-Read Mountain and book reviews are featured on her blog Carpe Diem Chronicles at maidamalby.com. Subscribe to her newsletter to receive updates on upcoming releases, book promotions, signing events, and advance review copy opportunities.

Mia Hopkins writes lush romances starring fun, sexy characters who love to get down and dirty. Her award-winning books have been featured by many publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and Entertainment Weekly. She lives in Los Angeles with her family. For more information, please visit http://www.miahopkinsauthor.com or connect with her on social media @miahopkinsxoxo.

Preslaysa Williams is an award-winning author who writes heartwarming romance and women’s ﬁction with an Afro-Filipina twist. Proud of her heritage. She loves sharing her culture with her readers. A graduate of Columbia University, Preslaysa is a professional actress, a planner nerd, an avid bookworm, and a busy mom who wears mismatched socks.

Tif Marcelo is a veteran US Army nurse and holds a BS in Nursing and a Master’s in Public Administration. She believes and writes about the strength of families, the endurance of friendship, heartfelt romances, and is inspired daily by her own military hero husband and four children. She hosts The Stories to Love Podcast and is the USA Today bestselling author of In a Book Club Far Away, Once Upon a Sunset, The Key to Happily Ever After, which was a Target Diverse Book Club pick, The Holiday Switch, and the Heart Resort and Journey to the Heart series. She and her books have been featured in The Today Show, Shondaland, Real Simple Magazine, The Asian Journal, and more!

Links To Love at the Fiesta

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