Happy Cinco de Mayo! I wish you beautiful paper flowers and Marachis to serenade you. 

I gather up a list of Romance Novels set in Mexico to celebrate. 

This list reveals that we have a long way to go in Romanceland in our depictions of Mexico. Drug Cartels and Vactation Resorts reign.  There are a few historicals that tell differnt stories but if you are a writer there are lot of wonderful stories waiting to be told in this setting.  Like everything else. 

None the less, here are fun Romances set in Mexico for your reading pleasure. 

My lists are never in any particular order. 

1. Wild Orchids by Karen Robards (I adore this book.) 

Prim mid-western schoolteacher Lora Harding is in for the summer vacation of her life when darkly handsome American Max Maxwell slides into her rented car in steamy Cancun, Mexico and orders her to “drive” at gunpoint. Max and his men break Americans out of Mexican jails for a living, but his latest job has gone horribly wrong and Max is on the run for his life. Kidnapping Lora, Max takes her on a heart-stopping adventure as he races to rejoin his men and get out of the country before the authorities can catch up to him. Feisty Lora fights him every step of the way, and in the midst of saving each other’s lives the two fall madly in love in this blistering novel of romantic suspense by the “mistress of sizzling sensuality” (Romantic Times).

2. Daughter of Fortune by Carla Kelly

Maria Espinosa should not have survived the 1679 cholera epidemic in Mexico City that killed her parents, already reeling from the loss of their fortune, nor should she have survived an Apache raid on the caravan transporting her to a sister in remote Santa Fe, in the royal colony of New Mexico. Rejected by her sister because she is penniless, Maria struggles to stay alive in a society unaware of impending disaster. A charismatic Tewa Indian named Popé is determined to drive the hated European overlords from the land. Maria’s refuge is no refuge at all. When Mary is taken in by a Spanish ranching family living uneasily among the Pueblo Indians, her beauty and spirit inspire a rivalry between two brothers—one a Spaniard, the other half-Indian. Will she find security and purpose in this harsh land only to lose her heart? In the midst of personal turmoil, Maria discovers a rare talent in this colony of believers. She learns how to carve discarded branches and tree stumps into statues of saints. She also learns the larger lesson: that grace can transform an object of little value into a masterpiece. But trouble lies ahead. Maria can reveal the saint buried in a block of wood. What mysteries lie deep within her own heart?

3. The Book of True Desires by Betina Krahn

Cordelia O'Keefe hoped to convince her wealthy grandfather, Samuel P. Blackburn, to provide the financial backing for her latest expedition, but Blackburn insists that Cordelia first find the "Gift of the Jaguar" for him. So she agrees to track down the three Mayan carvings that are thought to be the key to locating a legendary treasure hidden somewhere in Mexico. It turns out though that Blackburn isn't through with his demands. Not only does he insist on sending his British butler, Hartford Goodnight, on the expedition as his representative, but he also gives Hartford complete control of all travel funds. The last person Cordelia wants trekking with her through the dangerous jungles is a stuffy, sarcastic, and always superior servant like Hartford, but it turns out that the annoying, sexy Hartford is surprisingly resourceful, too. A delightfully sharp-tongued heroine matches wits and wiles with an equally stubborn hero in the latest of Krahn's imaginative late-Victorian historical romances. Laced with a generous dash of humor and expertly spiced with plenty of action and adventure, The Book of True Desires is simply superb. John Charles Copyright © American Library Association

4. Moonlight and Margaritas by Cindy Stark

She wants tonight… 

Elena Porter is off to Cabo San Lucas in search of excitement. Her business is blooming, and she's dumped her controlling ex-husband. An island fling is just what she needs to start living again. 

He wants forever… 

Joe Stephens escaped his stifling corporate lifestyle, preferring to spend his days as a dive instructor. He thinks the sun, senoritas and cervezas will fill the emptiness inside him, but even they fail to inspire the passion he's searching for.  

Will his love send her running for the border? 

Then Elena blows in like a sultry island breeze, and their time together rivals the sizzling Cabo sunsets. By the end of her vacation, Joe realizes he wants more. The only problem is he has fallen for a woman who wants less. If Joe can't earn her trust and prove his love, he will lose her forever.

5. The Unexpected Honeymoon by Barbara Wallace

A holiday to remember… 

Widower Carlos Chavez manages La Joya del Mayan, the most romantic resort in Mexico. On good days, the romance passes unnoticed; on dark days, it only reminds him of his loss. 

But the honeymoon suite's latest guest, Larissa Boyd, has rocked his steadfastness. Stunningly beautiful, she seems lost. And no wonder…she's on a honeymoon for one!  

The chemistry is instant—and their similarities run deep. Could it be that the two loneliest hearts on the island have found love…in the most unexpected of places?

6. The Fifth Kingdom by Caridad Pineiro

Dr. Deanna Vasquez hasn't spoken to her mother in years, not since the renowned archaeologist abandoned her family in her quest to find the lost tomb of Montezuma. When CIA agent Bill Santana shows up in her classroom with the news that her mother has been abducted by terrorists, Deanna has to help in any way she can.

Bill needs Deanna's expertise to determine the location of her mother's latest find, before her kidnappers do. He fears whatever mysteries the tomb holds could be deadly in the wrong hands. In an effort to make contact with the terrorist cell, Bill accompanies Deanna to Mexico posing as her fiancé—a ruse made doubly dangerous because of the very real heat between them...

7. The Goldsmith's Daughter by Tanya Landman

In the golden city of Tenochtitlan, Emperor Montezuma rules with an iron rod and people live in fear of the gods. Itacate, a girl born under an ill-fated sky, is destined for a life of submission and domestic drudgery. But when her father, a goldsmith, discovers her talent for his craft, she starts to work as his apprentice, a secret she must keep in order to protect the lives of herself and her family. But danger awaits as Spanish strangers invade the city. And when Itacate's work comes to the emperor's attention and she falls in love with a stranger, her life takes an even more perilous turn. Can Itacate change her destiny and survive in this harsh new world?

8. Hell On Wheels by Karen Kelley

Cody Carlisle has a reputation for being a bad ass bounty hunter. She was raised by an alcoholic mother and she has no idea who her father is, so yeah, she had to grow up fast. Her survival depended on it. She doesn’t need anyone, especially a player like Josh Pierce. 

Josh Pierce, ex undercover agent turned bounty hunter. Cody is the only thorn in his side because he’s never wanted a woman as badly as he wants her. Except she won’t have anything to do with him. 

When they grudgingly team up to go after a felon, Josh and Cody find they’re in way over their heads. The Mexican police don’t take kindly to bounty hunters so Josh does the only thing he can do—he lies and tells El Capitan they only want to get married. 

It goes downhill from there…..

9. All Bottled Up by Christine d'Abo

 lesson in seduction that releases lightning in a bottle…

Call center worker Viola White makes a living selling dream vacations. Too bad her own life is a litany of unfilled fantasies. Prime example—the boss she pines for barely knows she exists. Now that she’s won a trip to a Mexican beach resort, though, she vows to shake things up. Instead she winds up alone, empty handed and with a sore toe from the beautiful bottle she’s tripped over.

A bottle that’s purple, gold—and stuffed with over six feet of blue-eyed, black-haired hunk. If anyone could teach her how to seduce her boss, it’s this sexy genie.

Jerod can’t believe his bad luck. Three thousand years of granting frivolous wishes, and now he’s stuck playing matchmaker. A series of sensual lessons later, he finds there’s something different about this shy Viola. Something that tempts him to try to break free of his curse and make a life for himself—with her.

All he has to do is convince Viola that the man of her dreams is a dud. And the right man for the job of loving her is a genie.

10. Breaking Point by Pamela Clare

While investigating border violence in Mexico, journalist Natalie Benoit is taken captive. Alone in the hands of ruthless killers, she needs every ounce of courage she possesses to survive. Chief Deputy US Marshal Zach McBride has endured a week of torture and interrogation at the hands of a bloodthirsty drug cartel. Hearing Natalie's cries spurs his survival instincts. With her help, Zach overpowers their captors and they flee. But past loss and tragedy leave each reluctant to follow their hearts, even as the passion between them reaches breaking point. Now they must fight to stay ahead of the danger that hunts them as forces more powerful than they can imagine conspire to destroy them both...

Do you have good reccomendation for Romances Set in Mexico? Check out my Goodreads list: Romance Novels Set in Mexico. 

Has this ever happening to you? You are going to get married but you don't and dark it all you have this Honeymoon plans and tickets. What to do? 

This happens a lot in Romanceland. And you know what you do? You go on that damn Honeymoon by Yourself! Or bring a friend. Whatever.

Here are some fun Romance Novels with this theme! My lists are never in any particular order. 

1. A Garden In The Rain by Lynn Kurland

After her fiance, Bentley Douglas Taylor III, dumps her, then fires her, Madelyn Phillips attempts to salvage what she can from the wreckage of her life by going ahead with her planned trip to Scotland sans Bentley, only to find the insufferable twit waiting for her there in a misbegotten attempt to convince her to return to him. While trying to ditch Bentley, Madelyn visits Culloden and bumps into Patrick MacLeod, the lethally handsome Scotsman who earlier almost ran her off the road. At that moment, Madelyn intuitively realizes that Patrick is her one true love, but she hesitates to communicate this inexplicable idea to him since she's puzzled by it herself. Even if Madelyn reawakens a long dormant sense of desire in him, Patrick knows telling her the truth about who he really is will destroy any chance of a relationship. Of course, neither one factors in what a little bit of magic can do!

2. Bring It On by Kira Sinclair

Graphic designer Lena fled her ruined wedding with her best friend, filmmaker Colt. 

But she wasn’t expecting the “honeymoon” to be a week-long photo shoot. As the sets become more intimate, Lena and Colt’s libidos start slipping. They can fake it…but when the week is over, will they be able to forget it?

3. Get A Clue by Jill Shalvis

And You Think You've Had A Bad Day

City girl Breanne Mooreland gets left at the altar, takes the flight from hell to her honeymoon--alone--loses her luggage, and ends up snowed in at a Sierra mountains lodge run by the kookiest staff this side of the Addams Family. Oh, and there's a gorgeous naked man taking a shower in her suite who says he isn't going anywhere. That's just the first 24 hours. . .

Burned-out vice cop Cooper Scott is in serious need of this vacation, and he's not about to give up the only available room because an upset--okay, make that insane--woman is having a conniption fit. They'll just have to make the best of it--her side of the bed versus his. But when Cooper wakes up kissing the long, leggy Breanne, he wants to show her exactly what the honeymoon suite is intended for. But that will have to wait, because a screaming Breanne has just stumbled on a very dead body. So much for vacation. . .

4. The Wedding Fling by Meg Maguire

Celebrity Scandal!
Inside the Runaway Bride's Secret Rendezvous!

It's been a busy week for actress Leigh Bailey. The stunning starlet reportedly ditched her cheating groom on her wedding day and ran off to enjoy a honeymoon-for-one at a secluded tropical island. But rumor has it that she's not alone…

And we have the exclusive scoop on Leigh's hush-hush hideout—right from the drop-dead-delicious dude she's been fooling around with!

Resort pilot Will Burgess was just going to give us the basics—enough to earn some much-needed cash. But we never anticipated our intrepid insider getting up close and very, very personal.

It's the most salacious celebrity story of the year…don't miss out!

5. Everything But A Bride by Holly Jacobs

Atlantic City is the perfect place for detective Bradley Hudson to nurse his broken heart. A week of beer and strippers is sure to erase his former fiancée from his memory for good. What he didn't count on was running into a sassy redhead from his past. Maybe a rebound romp is an even better plan…

Trina Trimble, private eye in training, is thrilled to be reunited with the hottie she almost hooked up with last summer. She's undercover on her first solo case, but there's always time to lock lips with a sexy cop. Besides, a fun fling with Brad doesn't have to last beyond his week in town.

Brad and Trina are supposed to be just flirting, not forging a new forever. Brad's still healing, and although Trina changes careers the way other women change shoes, she has finally found her calling in her new life of disguises and stakeouts. But when an irresistible job offer threatens to lure her away, Brad will need to decide to let her go or bet it all on love and risk his heart again.

8. The Unexpected Honeymoon by Barbara Wallace

A holiday to remember… 

Widower Carlos Chavez manages La Joya del Mayan, the most romantic resort in Mexico. On good days, the romance passes unnoticed; on dark days, it only reminds him of his loss. 

But the honeymoon suite's latest guest, Larissa Boyd, has rocked his steadfastness.

Stunningly beautiful, she seems lost. And no wonder…she's on a honeymoon for one!  

The chemistry is instant—and their similarities run deep. Could it be that the two loneliest hearts on the island have found love…in the most unexpected of places?

9. Mad, Bad and Blonde by Cathie Linz

Top tycoon Tom Maddison is used to calling the shots—until his convenient marriage falls through. But rather than waste his honeymoon, he'll take his boardroom to the beach and bring his oh-so-sensible secretary, Imogen, on a tropical business trip!

Imogen's always fancied Tom, but knows he sees her as superefficient…not sexy! Yet on idyllic Coconut Island the white sand and inviting turquoise lagoons are weaving their magic….

Did I miss your favorite Solo Honeymoon? Vote for the best on my Goodreads list! 

In The Man Behind The Mask by Barbara Wallace, Delilah St. Germaine has been the executive assistant of Simon Cartwright at an advertisement agency for the past four years. She fell for him since the moment they met, but things have always been kept professional. Until the day they go to Boston to meet a potential client.

Simon leads a life that has nothing to do with Delilah, a life full of glitter and high society. But when he goes to Boston he is faced with memories of the past he has tried his best to forget.

Now Delilah and Simon will see the truth behind the glitter and social persona that he gives everyone, leading to her finally opening up to him and telling him her feelings.

Things only get better for her since they finally consummate what they have desired and denied for a long time. But Simon cannot let go of the past, which makes him break her heart since he feels unable to commit to her.

Only Delilah’s strong will and love will help her make Simon let go of the past and see the future they could have together.

This is not your typical romance and will break your heart once you know Simon’s past, but will have you cheering for Delilah to be able to give him the happiness he has been denying himself for a long time and now them.