Manila Takes Manhattan & The Last Guy You Kiss

De: Carla de Guzman

MANILA TAKES MANHATTAN

Fans of Jasmine Guillory and Helen Hoang will adore this irresistibly engaging story of two Filipino celebrities caught between everything they want…and everything they are.

How do you follow your heart when it’s in two places?

Filipino musician and producer Mon Mendoza has been in New York for less than a day. Just long enough to feel like he doesn’t belong despite landing a life-changing opportunity. All he can do is set a date night for just himself and some pancit canton. Which, as it turns out, is the only invitation his gorgeous Pinoy neighbor needs…

Actress Olivia Angeles can wear a character like a well-fitted dress. It’s her real self she’s having a hard time fitting into, craving a niche in Hollywood that doesn’t compromise her identity in the name of success. And right now, all she wants is comfort in the form of tasty noodles and her outrageously hot new neighbor. One night. Just enough to lose herself in his touch and the feel of his lips…

Only their sexy little tryst isn’t quite what they signed up for. Because for the next month, Mon and Olivia are working on the same movie. Together. Now they’re discovering they have a lot more in common than Pinoyness and sizzling chemistry. But how do you find yourself and your person when you’re caught between two different worlds?

THE LAST GUY YOU KISS

Feeling the heat from her Filipino family, a frustrated florist reaches out to a romantic “good luck charm” in this hilarious and heartwarming retelling of the Pinoy rom-com classic Got 2 Believe.

Some rumors turn out to be true…

Love isn’t easy. Especially when everyone seems to have found it but you. For florist Mara Barretto, her romantic life—or lack thereof—has baffled her close-knit family for years. Now that her baby sister is getting married, however, the pressure to settle down is at an all-time high. Then she meets Jay Montinola, a fellow wedding guest who’s equally single.

And rumor has it that every girl who kisses Jay finds The One immediately after.

So Mara does what any girl would do: try it for herself.

It's only a kiss—one that will supposedly put an end to her single life and thrust Mara into the arms of Mr. Right, wherever he is. Yet the moment Jay’s lips are on hers, Mara’s plan takes an unexpected turn. Will she finally find the relationship she longs for, or is true love a lot closer than she thinks?

From showing up to glowing up, the characters in Afterglow Books are on the path to leading their best lives and finding sizzling romance along the way. Don’t miss any of these other fun titles…

Manila Takes Manhattan by Carla de Guzman

Out of Office by A.H. Cunningham

The Summer of Perfect Mistakes by Cynthia St. Aubin

©2026 Carla de Guzman (P)2026 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited