Rival archaeologists have to work together on a secret Aztec expedition all the while dealing with their own complicated history. Archaeologists Dr. Socorror "Corrie" Mejía is a modern day Lara Croft, she's sexy, she's bad ass, and it's been her life's 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. When she gets invited to an all-expense-paid dig to do that she can't say no... until she gets there and realizes that her boss for the lead is none other than Dr. Ford Matthews, her hot nemesis who she not only wants to sleep with but hates. Ford and Corrie have a complicated history, from the fact that he took her fellowship to the fact that they nearly slept together. Ford needs Corrie for this dig because he's gotten nowhere with it and the investors need to find the artifact, he desperately needs the money from the dig to help pay for his mother's treatment and he knows only Corrie would be able to lead him to the artifacts. Ford and Corrie are constantly arguing yet their romantic feelings are still there, yet Corrie doesn't know all of Ford's secrets... and if she found out what he's been hiding, he might lose her all over again. With money-hungry artifact smugglers, the Mexican authorities, and all of Ford's lies... these two are in for a really complicated journey. This sounded like something I would absolutely adore, academic rivals with sexual tension, archaeologists/ dig adventure, and second chances??? Yet it fell flat for me, I really did not like Corrie or Ford, and honestly nothing about Ford really made me like him by the end. Knowing Ford, he'd be the kind of guy that I'd hold a grudge with after everything he did. Corrie constantly being descried as sexy and not having much of a personality out of that was just sad. I really didn't see the chemistry or romance between Ford and Corrie, and the actual dig adventure wasn't really that fun at all. This one was a big let down for me because I was expecting a fun rivals adventures rom com and what I got just did not live up to that at all. This one just really felt meh for me and despite that, if you like work rivals with a touch of second chance romance, give this a go, maybe you'll have a better time with it than I did.

*Thanks Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I read this book mainly because Segura lives in the area and is having her book launch here on release day, but also because Ali Hazelwood said it was a fun read and overall I think she was right. There's plenty of action, some laughs, some decent steam, and it's something that, book-wise, is fairly fresh. Right off I have to say I appreciated the dual POV, although that's always something that's pretty much always going to appeal to me so take that with a grain of salt. I think the overall idea for the book was also fresh, it's something I don't think I've seen before, and although it's somewhat reminiscent of a handful of movies (Indiana Jones, The Mummy, and Lara Croft being the main ones) it does stand on its own two feet well enough that it's not just a rehash of those. The romance was also fairly decent. The steam was nice, and I loved seeing the relationship between our two main characters evolve, my only issue with it is that in the end the f*ck up by one character seems to be forgiven fairly quickly in the end when I'm not sure it should have been. Although I suppose I can kind of see the reason behind it. I honestly thing the biggest issues I had with this book was the ending. It was so packed full of a bunch of things one after the other, and some of them seemed rather far fetched. Sure, the whole book as a whole one could argue is rather far fetched, but the ending really seemed to pile it on. There's also a massive time jump between the last real chapter and the epilogue chapter and I feel like a few things are just glossed over because maybe the author didn't want to have to deal with fixing them with anything more than a hand-wavy "and this happened and then this did". I found myself a little frustrated that our FMC kept having to be saved by our MMC when she was described as this super badass character that did all these wild things and came out unscathed before, but somehow now she was rather helpless? And there were also a few aspects of the characters that seemed to be brought up over and over again to the point of being somewhat irritating (mainly our FMC being very booby and curvy, and her weird laugh that was given its own name), but seeing as it's the author's debut novel I'll let it slide. Overall though, it was a fun debut novel that brings something a little different to the romance genre, and I'll be happy to hand-sell this book to romance fans looking for something with some adventure. I'll also be curious to see what Segura comes up with for her next book, and if she decides to go ahead with a sequel, seeing as there's certainly a thread left open, I wouldn't mind seeing where she takes these characters next.

The synopsis sounded like a lot of fun, yet here I am wondering if 3 stars is too high.

I liked Corrie and Ford. They're both smart, driven, and focused. Together they have a long, tangled history and a ton of potential. There are a good amount of characters here, but we don't get to know too much about any of them, excluding mutual BFF, Ethan.

Plot wise, it was okay. At times it felt disjointed, but I did appreciate that the history and archeological aspects weren't info-dumpy. I didn't see the chemistry between Corrie and Ford, so the romance aspect was a bit lacking; however, the last few chapters really got the tension and momentum going with an ending that was quite satisfying.

Overall, I wanted to love this more than I did, but this could absolutely be a case of me having a book hangover. I will be on the lookout for other works from the author.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing the arc free of charge**

I was immediately sold at archaeologist romance. Add on a love interest *literally* named after Harrison Ford? All of the Indiana Jones references? Discussions of sexism in academia? Y-E-S.

All of the Aztec history was so immersive as we explored the Mexican jungles on the dig. The plot had twists and turns, so much adventure, and STEAM! Between traversing the jungle and each other's bodies, Corrie and Ford certainly go on a journey during this book. I really enjoyed the friends to rivals to lovers plot - their chemistry was just everything. (And the ending??? Pleeeeease say we get book 2, Berkley!)

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for the gifted ALC*

What a fabulous romantic adventure!

Raiders of the Lost Heart is a quest to find long lost treasures, and lost love. Carrie and Ford have a second chance with matters of the heart on a archeological dig site in a remote area of Mexico. Ford is leading a team, when his former love, joins the site. Ford's motivation is hidden from the group as he's copping with his mothers illness and expenses. Carrie is one hell of a badass archeologist with a misunderstood reputation in the field.

I'm here for the following:
Exotic locale
Forced proximity
Enemies to lovers
Witty banter
Chemistry

This was such a fun read with its setting, wonderful characters and romance.

<INSERT INDIANA JONES MUSIC>

Thank you Berkley Publishing Group for the complimentary copy.

I have to admit that I, personally, don't enjoy the "keeping secrets for your own good" trope. It's not my jam, and this book relies heavily on it. If you don't mind that particular convention or if you particularly enjoy it, you will have a much better reading experience than I did. I did enjoy the Latina lead, which I feel like I don't see often enough. I don't enjoy that 2/3 of her personality was about her sexiness. We were reminded about how hot she is and how she's embraced that and is super totally okay with it so much that I'm not sure the author or character actually believed it. Lots of big swings for suspension of disbelief, and I was more taken with the side character romance than the main. All that to say, not bad, but not for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️
🌶️🌶️🌶️

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
- Badass Latina Archeologist
- Only One Tent
- Rivals to Lovers
- Indiana Jones Vibes

Archaeology + Adventure + Indiana Jones + Sexiness = Raiders of the Lost Heart.

This book was such a fun and sexy adventure! Raiders of the Lost Heart is different from most of the romances I have read but that didn’t make me love it any less. If you grew up finding Indiana Jones hot or enjoyed the movie The Lost City, then this book is for you.

Corrie and Ford have been adversaries since they were back in college which leads to so much sexual tension. Set in the Mexican jungle, this book is a constant wild ride and a definite page turner. Corrie is a strong latina whose tenacity jumps off the pages and I just love her so much. Ford is also a cinnamon roll MMC who has so much more to him below his surface.

This book was cute as hell and perfect for fans of Indiana Jones and the mummy which I absolutely love.

I haven’t read a romance yet where I literally could picture everything going on in my head. This book had so many adventures that the characters go on that I felt like I was there myself. The writing was great and the characters were incredible. I loved Corrie and Ford’s relationship. Their pining and banter was to die for!

If you’re looking for a swoon-worthy, enemies to lovers rom-com that has plenty of adventures then I highly recommend checking this one out on December 5th!

Thank you so much to Berkley and Netgalley for the e-arc!

Wow! This was such a fun read and I binged it in about a day! I listened to the audiobook thanks to PRH audio and I adored the narration!

I loved that we got both Corrie and Ford’s perspectives. The enemies to lovers was so well done! I loved the archeologist element and it was so unique. I’ve never read another book with characters in this career. It was so interesting to see Corrie and Ford re-establish their relationship and to learn how to support one another. I loved the mystery of whether they’d find the right dig sight and then who was messing with their camp site. I do wish we’d gotten a little more resolution in the ending instead of jumping ahead, but otherwise I loved everything!

I really hope we get more books from Segura!

𖣘ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛꜱ: I should've become an archeologist
ꕤᴍᴏᴏᴅ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ: dreamy, wishing I could jet set.
•♫•ꜱᴏɴɢ: Breathless Wild Things by Alessia Cara

A big thanks to【 Ｐａｒｔｎｅｒs @BerkleyPub, @BerkleyRomance, and @PRHAudio for granting me access to Raiders of the Lost Heart.

I finished Raiders of the Lost Heart and immediately searched Jo Segura's name hoping the author had other books already published that I could read.

Before I continue, I have to share that from the dedication page, Segura put a smirk on my face that remained throughout the book. I love an author who knows their books are spicy and dedicate it to a loved one saying "I hope it isn't too spicy!"

Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía receives a strange visit from a visitor, who offers her an all-expenses paid trip to work on a dig that would bring Corrie's lifelong dream to life- conducting a dig in the Mexican jungle searching for Chimalli, an ancient warrior of the Aztec empire and possibly one of Corrie's ancestors.

Too tempted to pass up the opportunity, Corrie goes, but what she finds is her arch nemesis Dr. Ford Matthews and reporting to him is truly her worst nightmare. For Corrie, the grudge goes back years, when Ford stole what was hers. Fighting for her place in the male-dominated, extremely sexist field of archeology, Corrie's career has been questioned at every turn, diminished for her beauty and sex appeal, and quite frankly she's been skipped for a "more qualified" male counterpart.

What Corrie doesn't anticipate is Ford admitting he needs her. As the two work together to find the site both begin to discover much more than historical relics. Ford and Corrie are forced to reconcile with themselves that maybe just maybe they have misunderstood one another all along.

I listened to the audiobook through @PRHAudio and the narration was great. I loved the different voices to capture both Corrie and Ford. I also found listening to it made me laugh, because Corrie is truly comedic in her delivery.

I highly recommend checking out this novel. I read it soon after reading Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan and was pleasantly surprised by how different the two are.

Last, I have to tell you this book played with my emotions quite a bit. I need some chocolate now to recover from the emotional rollercoaster (in a good way!).

This book has so much to love. You have enemies to lovers, forced proximity, treasure hunt, thrills and adventures.

Corrie and Ford are both archaeologists and professors and are really good and top of their field, but they have very different philosophies for both their career and their life.

When they are forced together on an expedition, you really get to see a lot of bickering and banter as well as some truly humorous and some great growth in these two individuals.

I don't really want to say a lot about this book because there are some things that it's better not to know when you go into it. But I will say if you are at all a fan of the Indiana Jones movies, highly recommend this book

This was perfect for fans of Indiana Jones! We follow Corrie and Ford, both archaeologists, as they attempt to uncover a site in Mexico. The only problem is that they don't get along now, and haven't since they were in college. This was your typical rivals-to-lovers in that sense, but the plot itself was unique and quite fun to read. I enjoyed the archaeological talk, though it wasn't super dense (there really wasn't much description at all), so it's very accessible for those, like me, who are intrigued but aren't knowledgeable. Back to the relationship, there was mention of Ford and Corrie's past, specifically of an interaction at a library in college, that was alluded to often but never fully explained; I kept waiting for a flashback but never got one. Their relationship was cute, but I wasn't super invested. Plot-wise, this was unique and quite fun--you have to suspend your disbelief, but it's a wild ride to make up for it--though the "rom" part of the story was a bit lackluster.

A very fun and very silly romcom with corny humor and transparent obstacles. In the adventure romance subgenre, I would compare this more to "Fools Gold" than a beloved classic like "Romancing the Stone," but if you enjoyed "Something Wilder" by Christina Lauren, I think you'd enjoy this. Don't read it for the nuance - there were times I actually felt like it was written for a below-adult reading comprehension. But it's light and a quick read in a subgenre that doesn't have nearly enough content.

I had no idea I needed a romance featuring rival Archeologists until reading this book!
When Corrie arrives in Mexico for a super top-secret dig she doesn't expect to see her rival/ the person she hates most in the world and she almost leaves immediately. But the lure of discovering Chimalli is enough for her to put her feelings about Ford mostly aside.
I loved the banter and sass between Corrie and Ford, and whenever they are on the page together the sparks fly! You can just feel the I hate your guts but I really want to f.. kiss you vibes.
Corrie is a complete badass, I love how strong and smart she is, and watching her school Ford was very satisfying.
I loved going along on this adventure, I loved both Indiana Jones and Laura Croft and this book felt like it would fit perfectly in that world! Not only was it fun, and full of sass and some explosive chemistry but also there were parts that were sad and heartbreaking. I really ran the full gambit of emotion while reading this.
The ending was tense, suspenseful, and of course as a romance, happy.
I would definitely read more books following Ford and Corrie as they travel the world uncovering its secrets!!

Thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, and Jo Segura for this digital ARC.

Seeing the Romancing the Stone vibes on the cover of this book, I was eager to get started reading! Corrie and Ford, two rival archaeologists, are about to come together to solve an Aztec mystery. But Ford's treachery towards Corrie threaten to tear both the dig and Corrie's heart to pieces. Pick up this wild, steamy book today!

Raiders of the Lost Heart was a solid read! I liked the Indiana Jones vibes and the main characters. It's always refreshing to read a well-developed heroine. I thought Ford was a good match for Corrie. I liked their chemistry and banter. The last 20% of the book felt a little forced and contradictory. Throughout the book, Corrie is adamant about not being in a serious relationship....so when she suddenly commits to being in a relationship with Ford, I was left confused and unconvinced. Although the ending was cheesy, I still had fun with this one! Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

This one was pretty promising. I liked the concept of rival archaeologists on a dig and the forced proximity of it all. Unfortunately, this one was just ok for me. I found it to be a little on the cheesy side and I didn't buy the romance here.

This book is so much fun!! If you like your romance with a side of adventure, a dash of danger, and a whole lot of swoon, then Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura is for you!
•
My first ever crush in life was Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark so this book felt like it was written for me personally, lol. Though the male lead, Dr. Ford, is named after Harrison, I think the real star of the show is Dr. Socorro Mejía, aka Corrie. She is the smart, tough, beyond capable female main character of my dreams. I love love loved reading Corrie’s journey!!
•
This book hits shelves on December 5th so I won’t spoil it. I will say the writing is spectacular and the world so fun and immersive it kind of feels like a movie. The enemies to lovers romance is just perfect, and there's so much heart in these pages. Plus we always love to see a Latinx woman striving for greatness in STEM! This is the action adventure romance of my dreams, and I know readers will love it. This is definitely one to pre-order!!

Oh my god, I’m so obsessed with this book! Enough that it made me put down a HIGHLY anticipated book 2 in a certain fantasy series because I could not stop thinking about Corrie and Ford! I’ve been all about Indiana Jones my whole life and spent way too many weekends watching and rewatching The Mummy, so Jo Segura’s debut RAIDERS OF THE LOST HEART was right up my alley.

Dr. Socorro Mejia, Corrie to her friends, has made it her life’s work to find the long-lost remains of her ancestor, Aztec warrior, Chimalli. When she’s invited to an all-expenses paid dig for that expressed purpose, she’s sure it too good to be true. And she finds she’s right, when she shows up and learns that the dig is led by her disgustingly handsome nemesis, Dr. Ford Matthews.

Ford is just as hesitant to have Corrie on the dig. But everything’s riding on the success of the expedition, and he can’t let their animosity—or their overwhelming attraction—get in the way. As they work together, they start to develop a partnership beyond the bones and artifacts. But with a thief in their midst, smugglers, Mexican authorities, and enough lies to fill the Lacandon jungle, their happily ever after may be out of reach.

First, let me start by saying Corrie is such a badass and I love her. She brilliant and confident, and I love the way Jo explored how her identity as a Latina woman impacted her perception within the field. She interesting and unique, just like all the characters in this story. Ford is flawed in the most beautiful way. He genuinely messes up (which I find so refreshing) and watching the way he fixes it and grows as a person is so enjoyable. And the tension between Corrie and Ford is absolute fire from the first interaction!

And the adventure!! It was so much fun, and she did a fantastic job of making sure the adventure still moved their characters and the romance arc forward. And guys… only one tent 🙌🏻

This is the genre I never knew I needed, and now it’s all I want! I will devour anything Jo wants to give us 🔥

I was almost 9 years old when Raiders of the Lost Ark was released. My dad brought me to see it and we enjoyed it so much that we saw it again, the next time with my mother. I loved that movie- the excitement, thrills, bad guys, and the romance.

So when I was invited to read Raiders of the Lost Heart and be part of a blog tour, you know that I jumped at the opportunity to read this.


*forced proximity
*oh no, we have to share sleeping space
*enemies to lovers
*a very long slow buildup for the characters
*lack of communication

Despite some issues with the MC's, I really enjoyed this one and the ending hints at more titles to come, which I will definitely check out.



Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the DRC!