Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura

Title: Temple of Swoon

Author: Jo Segura

Publisher: Berkley 2025

Genre: Romance

Pages: 355

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Romanceopoly - Latinx Author; Cover Lover - Favorite Color

Spice Rating: 5

While her mentor may be the world’s most badass archaeologist, the only thing bad about Dr. Miriam Jacobs are her corny jokes. But when Miri is charged with leading an unmapped expedition through the Amazon for the fabled Lost City of the Moon, she finally has her chance to prove to her colleagues that she’s capable—and hopefully prove it to herself, too.

Journalist Rafael Monfils has joined the archaeological team to chronicle their search for the lost city. Or at least, that’s what they think he’s doing. Rafa’s real goal? Make sure the team does not reach the Cidade da Lua, stopping the desecration of the holy city and protecting his mother’s legacy. All he needs to do is keep them on the wrong path.

If only the endearingly quirky Dr. Jacobs wasn’t so damn tenacious—each of Rafa’s tricks and purposeful wrong turns only seem to fuel her determination. Even worse, he’s charmed by her goofy attempts to channel Lara Croft as they traverse the dangerous Brazilian rainforest. But they’re not the only crew hunting for the lost city, and soon the untamed jungle—and their untamed hearts—might be the least of their worries...

I thoroughly enjoyed Segura’s first book. It was the perfect blend of romance and action/adventure. Romancing the Stone is one of my favorite movies from the 1980s and this one is definitely reminiscent of that movie. We get a fun, perky, slightly clues main female character and a brooding, sexy main male character. We see them come together and attempt to find the Ciudad de Lua (or are they?). Thankfully the book was very propulsive and the action pushed the characters into fun situations and tense situations. By the end of the book, I could actually buy the relationship between Miri and Rafa. I really hope that Segura keeps writing these types of books.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura

Title: Raiders of the Lost Heart

Author: Jo Segura

Publisher: Berkley 2023

Genre: Romance

Pages: 357

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; She Reads Romance - Nerd with Glasses

Archaeologist Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía has a bone to pick. Literally. 

It’s been Corrie’s life goal to lead an expedition deep into the Mexican jungle in search of the long-lost remains of her ancestor, Chimalli, an ancient warrior of the Aztec empire. But when she is invited to join an all-expenses-paid dig to do just that, Corrie is sure it’s too good to be true...and she’s right.

As the world-renowned expert on Chimalli, by rights Corrie should be leading the expedition, not sharing the glory with her disgustingly handsome nemesis. But Dr. Ford Matthews has been finding new ways to best her since they were in grad school. Ford certainly isn’t thrilled either—with his life in shambles, the last thing he needs is a reminder of their rocky past.

But as the dig begins, it becomes clear they’ll need to work together when they realize a thief is lurking around their campsite, forcing the pair to keep their discoveries—and lingering attraction—under wraps. With money-hungry artifact smugglers, the Mexican authorities, and the lies between them closing in, there’s only one way this all ends—explosively.

Mix together Indiana Jones, Romancing the Stone, and some Lara Croft and we get this fun, action-filled romance story. Corrie and Ford have the type of history that I am definitely okay with when it comes to romance stories. I don’t like friends to lovers, but adore enemies to lovers. Their relationship definitely falls into that second category. Of course, we have tons of sexual chemistry, but they cannot seem to stop bickering and fighting over every little thing. I enjoyed the shift of setting to an archaeological dig in the Mexican jungle and the added dash of intrigue and mystery. Once the characters finally admit their attraction to each other, I loved seeing their relationship evolve over the rest of the adventure. A very fun romance book.

Next up on the TBR pile: