Romancing the Ruins | Earth and Skye

Title: Lost and Found in Mexico
Author: Carla Luna
Series: Romancing the Ruins #1.5
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Contemporary romance, Travel
Pace: Fast
Format: eBook, Novella
Year: 2024

I love that both Sofia and Olivia (Field Rules) are second chance romance girls. Both the sisters have polar opposite personalities and desires, but at the core, they both just want to be loved and to find love. Honestly, as much as I loved Olivia’s story in Field Rules, I think I actually liked Sofia’s more. Olivia and Rick are so damn alike and it’s impossible not to imagine how they will fit together. Sofia and Javier are total opposites and I like how they are able to find their own happily ever after with such different goals and personalities.

We might not have Vegas in Australia, but I do love the idea of a drunk wedding leading to a happily ever after. Alright, Sofia and Javier have a lot more to base their relationship on. But the point remains the same – a couple who got married drunk. Stuffed up the divorce and just end up reconnecting in the most picturesque of ways. Alright, maybe not everyone would think that a dig site would be picturesque, but the way that this one is described? It gives a girl who doesn’t have the travel bug some serious wanderlust.

I’ve never given much thought to what it actually means to be an insta-influencer. Particularly not one who is a travel influencer. I follow the occasional one, but that’s about as far as my brain cells go down that track. I loved that in this story, Sofai as a travel influencer who is kind of an adrenaline junkie. She manages to not only find her place at an archaeological dig site (and I swear all academia field sites are rough as guts), but she also goes diving whilst there. I might be kind of scared to go diving myself, but, having family who does… I could really appreciate the technicalities of writing this. And the joy that Sofia finds in her experiences.

This is such a fun, short and happy novella. Sofia and Javier have a whole lot of history, and although there are enough hurt feelings to make it interesting, they very quickly dive into their relationship. There isn’t that painful refusal to admit feelings and angst. Rather, just a story all about the joy of finding yourself in your person. And having support even when your passions don’t always align.

<- Field Rules

Troy Story ->

Image source: Mondastore

Title: Field Rules
Author: Carla Luna
Series: Romancing the Ruins #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Contemporary romance
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2022

I love that this is a contemporary romance which takes place on an archaeology dig. And that it has a lot of the politics of academia and the nuances of working within the system as its backbone. The setting alone would make me want to dive into this story more. Plus, it was a completely unique setting that I wanted to keep knowing more about. I loved finding out more about what it is like to live and work on an archaeology dig. That, and what actually goes into being a budding archaeologist.

This second chance romance is built on a relationship that was destroyed by misunderstandings and immaturity. It’s a fairly common set of mistakes, and I really enjoyed how the couple were able to figure out how to work their way back to one another. Plus, I just enjoy how the two leads were able to talk through their past and difficulties. It’s also interesting how one mistake as a barely adult so drastically shapes both of their lives. And all of the decisions that they make in the interim. One choice and one moment in the past can be enough to shape an entire future, and that was certainly true beyond the relationship foibles within this story.

I love that, second chances aside, it is a shared passion and drive to find out the mysteries of the past that bring them back together. Both Olivia and Rick are passionate archaeologists, yet, they show two different sides of a fascinating field. Olivia’s drive to pursue academia in her research and understandings is phenomenal. Rick on the other hand is more practical in his archaeological pursuits, and I love that both are completely valid in their pursuits. I honestly don’t know if I enjoyed the archaeology deep dive or the romance more throughout Field Rules.

This is a wonderfully feel good and adorable story. It had little conflict, and a lot of the pressure comes from external forces. There is even some poetic justice for the villains throughout this story that just want to stop Rick and Olivia from acting like consenting adults. I honestly loved everything about this story. It was a feel good and light story that I didn’t want to stop reading, even after I turned that final page.

<- More Carla Luna

Lost and Found in Mexico ->

Image source: Goodreads

Earth and Skye

The ramblings of a bibliophile.

Tag Archives: Romancing the Ruins

Lost and Found in Mexico by Carla Luna

Field Rules by Carla Luna