To Barcelona with Love Trilogy

Book 1 coming September 1, 2025


The Vacation Bubble

by Marcella Steele

I⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Readers’ Favorite… “Bridget Jones’ Diary meets Eat, Pray, Love

A smart, sexy, second chance romance that will touch your heart

A fling wasn’t on her vacation itinerary. Neither was falling in love.

Romance has ghosted, gaslit, and gone full Shakespearean tragedy on Sofia Drake. She’s basically a one-woman rom-com with no third act. Her spirit animal? An antelope, always ready to sprint if love sneaks up on her again.

Freshly dumped and downsized out of her job, Sofia is ready for a cosmic do-over. A solo escape to Spain seems like the perfect way to hit the reset button on her life... until she runs into Ryan Hunter, the guy she swore she’d never see again—too young, too tempting, too perfectly leading-man material.

He offers her a deal she can’t refuse. What harm could come from a fling in Barcelona? So she breaks her own ‘no men’ rule and comes up with a new rule: keep it vacation-only. Sun, sangria and maybe a little sizzle.

But as the clock winds down on their time together, Sofia has two choices: guard her heart from the free-fall—or leap, and pray love catches her midair.

Sometimes the best adventures happen when you stop running from what scares you most.

For fans of Beach Read, The Unhoneymooners, and Part of Your World, this witty reverse age-gap romance is a sun-drenched escape with heart, heat, and humor. 

"The Vacation Bubble will resonate with readers who crave wanderlust, sizzling chemistry, and second chances. It’s a love letter to every woman who’s ever been told she’s too old to start over, too emotional to lead, or too wrinkled to be wanted."

— Reader’s Favorite


"Barcelona is a wonderfully exotic location, and the author’s descriptive writing will have readers alongside Sofia and Ryan as they explore the city and each other. I enjoyed this read and highly recommend it."   

—Reader’s Favorite

"Marcella Steele’s writing  sparkles with biting one-liners, brutally honest observations, and laugh-out-loud self-deprecating humour."

— Readers’ Favorite

“Steele makes Sofia relatable, no matter the age of the reader. Her struggles will resonate with any woman who’s ever been single. The Vacation Bubble is a roller coaster of fun, romance, steam, and sun!”

Readers’ Favorite

"Brilliantly written with skill, every chapter pulls you in—inspiring self-exploration and belief in love at any age." 

—Marni MacRae, International Award-Winning Author

“I absolutely loved Vacation Bubble! From the very first chapter, I was hooked by Marcella Steele’s ability to create a vivid, sun-soaked setting that felt like a getaway in itself. The characters were so well-drawn—real, flawed, and incredibly relatable. I especially enjoyed how the author balanced the escapist vacation vibe with genuine emotional depth. It wasn’t just a “fluffy” read; there were moments of introspection and heartfelt connection that really grounded the story.”

—ARC reader



SAMPLE

Coming Soon!

The Vacation Bubble Audiobook

Narrated by Zoe Black with James Cassidy

About Marcella Steele

Marcella Steele is an American author/screenwriter who now writes with her laptop precariously balanced on a café table in Barcelona, but can sometimes be found dreaming up stories on a terrace in Bali or on a balcony in Paris. Marcella champions the radical idea that women over forty are just getting started and her contemporary romance/women’s fiction novels celebrate love, passion, and self-discovery at any age. With her passion for travel, she delights in bringing the reader along to discover the magic of faraway places.