Indiana Jones gets the romance treatment! Archaeology! Enemies to lovers!! Danger!!!

It’s got all that and more. Super fun, super sexy.

This was such a good one!! This is the second romance I’ve read that had an archaeological subject and it was so cool!! I really enjoyed the characters and the storyline!! And that ending!! Oh man!! Definitely recommend grabbing this one!!

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

I grew up on Indiana Jones, the Mummy, and Lara Croft. I also wanted to go on expeditions like them. I ended up becoming a Librarian-the next best thing! Therefore, I wanted the storyline to be heavier on this Aztec expedition than the romance. I felt this was more of a spicy book with a bit of plot, than the plot with a bit of spice. Overall, fun and fast paced.

Much like with Hallmark movies, when reading Romance I am drawn to the stories about people with interesting jobs. I won't say this is the first Romance with an archaeologist protaganists that I have read, but still only one of two or three. Additionally, this particular story takes place on an active dig, adding to the adventure of the story. The plot itself reunites past friends and now rivals, who need to work together to make a major discovery in Mexico. While there they struggle with their attraction to each other while having to work together and move past the drama from their shared history. Overall, a short and sweet romance with an exciting adventure. (Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the ARC)

My main thought of Raiders of the Lost Heart is that this is perfect for fans of archaeology, action scenes and exploration, and swoons. I loved the premise of the archaeology, exploring the past, and also Corrie's connection to Chimalli. There's plenty of forced proximity and hilarious obstacles thrown in their way, Raiders of the Lost Heart is fun through and through. What I also loved were the conversations about the sexism within the archaeology field and the lack of representation.

Ready for a romance full of adventure?
Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura
𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 , 𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴!

Read if you love:
🗺️ Adventures / Indiana Jones vibes
💘 Witty banter
🗺️ Rivals to Lovers
💘 Only one tent 🤭

Rating: 4.5/5★

This is book is a big YES for me! I enjoyed it so much and thought it was hilarious too. The concept of this book was so new and refreshing for the romance genre. The setting was just so different and the author does an amazing job at describing the setting and immersing the readers into this fun adventure. The story is full of love, betrayal, friendships, challenges, and growth.
I loved seeing a strong independent Latina FMC! It was amazing to see how in touch Corrie was with her feelings and mental health. You don’t always get to see a badass female archeologists that’s so confident & killing it. Of course our FMC has her struggles but I loved seeing her face them with so much confidence. It’s got to be one of my favorite things about this book.
Ford is her love interest and also her school rival which makes it even more interesting. While I enjoyed the romance, I honestly think I was more invested on the discoveries Corrie & Ford were making together. It was just so much fun!

Big shoutout to @berkleyromance & @netgalley for my gifted copy.

Thank you @berkleyromance & @netgalley for my complimentary digital eArc. My thoughts are my own. #penguinrandomhousepartners

What an amusing adventure! I found the witty banter and hilarious situations these enemies-to-lovers and fellow archeologist competitors found themselves in to be highly entertaining!

When Dr. Corrie Mejia and Dr. Ford Matthews were in grad school together, there was no love lost between them. Now, years later, even though it has always been Corrie’s dream to search for the remains of her ancient ancestor, Chimalli, Ford has won the funding for the search. However, unbeknownst to Corrie, Ford used HER research to give him access to her ancestor’s path! But Ford has reached a standstill and the only one who can help him is Corrie. So, he invites her on the expedition and soon, sparks fly!

I enjoyed this one for the mystery and the adventure. I prefer my romance novels to be fairly clean, so I need to warn you that this one is pretty spicy!

Read this if you enjoy:

Enemies to Lovers
Academia
Close Proximity
One Tent
Strong Female Characters
Adventure

I always get a little worried with archeologist books but this one raided my heart and gave off some series The Mummy vibes.

Two rivals head out on an archeological dig in Raiders of the Lost Heart. Corrie is an expert in Aztec culture and wanted to lead the expedition, but her former grad school nemesis, Dr. Ford Matthews is in charge, setting the stage for a romantic comedy.

I love stories that illustrate just what it's like to be a woman in what people might call a male dominated field like STEM. It's ripe for lots of different plot devices, like stealing someone's work or sabotaging a colleague. Corrie and Ford start out as enemies but they must put their differences aside for the sake of the dig. Of course the sparks will fly!

Ford does make some questionable moves in this enemies to lovers story. I really didn't like some of the things he did to Corrie and I wondered why she put up with his bad behavior. Some of his circumstances do manage to bring some sympathy to his behavior though and redeem some of what he's done to Corrie. The book does a good job of illustrating just how much a man can get away with, and how much harder women need to work for less consideration. I liked that about it.

In spite of all this, Corrie and Ford do have some sexual tension that builds as the dig continues. Their competitiveness shines throughout the story, which is realistic for characters that must rely on investors to fund their research. I did like that we got both Corrie's and Ford's point of view because that helped to make the characters likable.

Overall, not quite as much action as I would have liked, and the romance was well presented in some cases because of the rivalry between the characters. I liked Corrie's spirit very much in this story. There were some uneven spots that slowed down the story. This was a new-to-me author and I will be looking forward to future titles.

I’m a huge Indiana Jones fan so as soon as I saw the title of Jo Segura’s debut romance novel, Raiders of the Lost Heart, I knew I had to read it! Between that title and the promise of a sexy adventure romcom featuring rival archaeologists, I knew I was in for a good time.

The story follows Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía, an archaeologist who has devoted her career to studying Chimalli, an ancient warrior of the Aztec Empire, who also happens to be her ancestor. Her dream is to someday lead an expedition into the Mexican jungle to search for Chimalli’s long lost remains. An unexpected invitation to join just such an expedition, all expenses paid, sounds too good to be true to Corrie, but she just can’t resist if this means finally achieving her dream. To her utter dismay, once she arrives in Mexico, she learns the leader of the expedition is none other than her archnemesis, Dr. Ford Matthews.

I was angry for Corrie on so many levels. She is clearly the expert on all things Chimalli so how could this guy be chosen over her to lead her dream expedition? Not only that but we also learn that he broke her heart when they were in grad school together and he stole a fellowship that should have been hers. Needless to say, I was all aboard the Let’s Hate Ford Train when we first meet him, haha! Ford eventually won me over though because it’s clear that he cares about and respects Corrie even in the face of their long-standing rivalry.

Corrie was truly the star of the show in this book. I loved watching her prove what a badass she is over and over again. One of the other characters in the book refers to her as Lara Croft and I thought that comparison was perfect! Ford is a great character too, much more sensitive than I was expecting him to be and clearly dealing with some issues of his own that are weighing him down. I really enjoyed watching Corrie and Ford interact. It’s clear that they have some pretty sizzling chemistry and I loved watching them work together, growing closer with each passing day, all the while trading some pretty hilarious banter because they’re both so darned competitive and can’t resist trying to outdo one another.

If you like a bit of action and adventure to balance out the romance and the more emotional moments of a story, you’ll definitely enjoy the actual expedition, which has plenty of twists, turns, excitement and danger to keep things interesting and keep Ford and Corrie on their toes.

Raiders of the Lost Heart is a fun, sexy read that also has a lot of heart. I loved it and look forward to reading more from Jo Segura. If you like adventure romcoms, badass STEM heroines, enemies-to-lovers and forced proximity romances, you’re going to want to pick up a copy of this one.

POV: Dual
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

Did you ever watch Indiana Jones and think that the only thing that could make them better is if there was more romance involved? If so, then same, and this book is for you!

Obviously the title and cover are super cute, but once I started reading I couldn’t put it down! It is action and romance packed, and the chemistry between Ford and Carrie is obvious. While both of the characters weren’t always the most likable, they were relatable and I was rooting for them to get their HEA. I think most people will like Carrie, as she’s strong and confident in herself, and I also found her to be funny!

I enjoyed the author’s writing style, but there was a part in the end that really had me like wait… no way is this happening, but rest assured there is a HEA and I guess it was kind of fun to be left wondering for a few pages 😅 I’m really hoping we get an entire series about these two and their adventures!

I need more adventure romcoms in my life! I really love the idea of a book with Indiana Jones x Tomb Raider vibes but this didn’t have as much adventure as I wanted. This book DID deliver on the professional rivals to lovers aspect though! That was done really well! I enjoyed getting to know Corrie I wanted only the best for her and that’s why I wanted her NO WHERE NEAR FORD!! I didn’t like how he treated her and he didn’t even do an epic I’m Sorry scene! Corrie forgave him way too quickly. Even though I didn’t love this book I’m still intrigued to see what else this author will come out with!

This book won me over from the start. Corrie Mejia and Ford Matthew’s are so fiery. I love the tension between the two of them that’s clearly been simmering below the surface for many years. Corrie’s criticisms of the misogyny in her field are insightful and infuriating. Corrie’s expertise has been requested on a dig and she’s reluctant to do so, but ultimately decides to go along to at least check it out. She doesn’t expect to be joining a crew on a quest for an Aztec warrior who she believes to be her ancestor. Her personal history is so tied up in the job that she agrees to stay, even though the lead archeologist is her graduate school nemesis Ford Matthews. I love everything about this book and will consider Jo Segura’s books as must-reads from now on.

If you are a fan of the Indiana Jones movies, but think it needs more spice and romance, I’ve got the book for you!

Dr Corrie Mejia is thrilled to be chosen to lead an all expenses paid trip to the Mexican jungle to search for the lost remains of Chimalli. Corrie believes she is a distant relative of Chimalli and thus she is the perfect person to lead this dig. When she gets to the site, she finds out not only is she not the lead, but her arch nemesis Dr Ford Matthews is. They have a professional rivalry and a healthy dislike for each other, but they must work together to complete their assignment. They get even closer after things suddenly are going wrong on their site. Can they put their attraction for each other aside to get to the bottom of this case?

I liked, but didn’t love this one. I found the premises very interesting, but the story got bogged down in a lot of facts about Chimalli. I did appreciate that Corrie was such a leader in her field and was proud of her for standing up for herself when she thought she should be the lead. Ford and Corrie had good chemistry and it was clear that they admired each other physically as well as academically. I also enjoyed the twist on just one bed which was just one tent!

I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrator, Frankie Corzo, did a wonderful job. Thank you so much @berkleyromance and @prhaudio for my gifted book. Raiders of the Lost Heart is out now!

When Corrie is invited on a mysterious archeologic dig to find the remains of her supposed ancestor and thesis topic, she can't help but agree, despite the lack of information surrounding the trip. But when she arrives, the lead archeologist is none other than her doctoral rival, Ford, who she can never quite decide whether she wants to slap or sleep with. She almost walks away, but when she can't stand to give up the dig of her life just because of their differences. Once the two spend more time together, the sexual tension bubbles over just as the dig begins heating up, too.

I really, really enjoyed this book. I know nothing about archeology, but love romance books where the main characters have unique, interesting careers, and this one fit the bill. It provides a plot point and interesting tidbits aside from the developing connection and steam (that this book also delivers incredibly). This is a fabulous debut, and I can't wait to see what else thing author puts out!

Thanks to Berkley for my eARC and finished copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

I was not a fan of this book. I found Corrie to be very unlikeable, and I really wasn't sure what Ford saw in her, other than that he found her attractive. I felt like they both acted in a very immature manner, and if they, at any point, would have just stopped and had a real conversation, most of the "conflict" in the book could have been avoided. But to be honest, I think most of the "conflict" in the book arose because Corrie had a bad temper and didn't think about what she was saying or doing before she did it. She acted like a spoiled middle-schooler.
I also felt like I had so suspend belief on the archaeological aspect and historical accuracy, not to mention the ending.
I would not recommend this book

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley and the Berkley Besties program, all opinions are my own.

I love a good Indiana Jones type of story with a little mythology, archeology, and adventure. I was so excited that this had a female lead, but I was a little let down by this. The story was a bit hard to take seriously when the two main characters were constantly thinking about how hot each other are and lusting after one another. It was lacking the adventure plotline that I was expecting from this book. Our female lead continuously wants to be taken seriously for her work, yet her mind is constantly in the gutter and despite how capable she is as an archeologist she doesn't think through her actions. I think the book's message really got lost along the way. If the author's goal was to write a steamy rom-com, she did so, however I wanted more of the dig and science behind it.

This follows Corrie and Ford, two archeologists who have been rivals since their days as students. Both great at what they do for a living, but very different in their methods. Corrie has always been fascinated by the ancient Aztec warrior Chimalli, especially since her grandfather claims they are his descendants. She even wrote her thesis on Chimalli and her dream is to lead an expedition to find his remains. Unbeknownst to Corrie, Ford has been handed her dream expedition and he needs her help when the dig has come to a standstill. Corrie has been angry with Ford since their days as students and she has never confronted him about it. Ford knows he needs to come clean about what really happened all those years ago and the dig is just another reason for her to hate him. As Ford and Corrie form a truce to make the most of the dig, the truth slowly comes out and the spark between them is reignited. The dig isn't going as planned, but with Corrie's help and expertise on the subject and history, things slowly turn around.

Like I said I was expecting more of an adventure book with a romance. I felt mislead by the premise of this book. If you are expecting something like The Mummy, Lara Croft, or Indiana Jones which this was compared to several times it is lacking that type of humorous adventure. There is a bit of action that occurs toward the end, but overall the action and adventure I was looking for was lacking. Perhaps this is more realistic of how an actual dig really works, but I was expecting something a bit more fantastical and less realistic. At it's core this a romance novel, and I didn't feel the chemistry between the two main characters. There is alot of lust between them for much of the book, and there are some spicy bits, so depending on what you are looking for this may or may not be the book for you. They fight alot, and I wasn't a fan of the conflict resolution overall. Their communication skills need some work and something I look for between adult characters is great banter and good communication.

Overall, this was fun but not what I was looking for.

A book inspired by Indiana Jones?? Say no more. I LOVED these movies as they came out when I was young.

Raiders of the Lost Heart was so dang fun. The location couldn't be better or the premise more unique. And that COVER! I loved Corrie as the MC--she was a badass breaking the glass ceiling in her field, determined to prove the first impressions of her wrong.

I also loved her rivalry with Ford. They've been competing for grants and positions for years, but when they're stuck in the wilderness, of course things are going to turn steamy. The book's tagline "Your tent or mine?" totally cracked me up. The "only one tent" scene was perfect.

I'll admit I didn't love Ford, his lies, or the way he stepped on Corrie to better his own career. Even when he admitted it, it didn't feel like the issue was quite resolved.

I'm looking forward to more books by this author! I enjoyed her writing style and willingness to do something totally unique.

“You’re the only person who can occupy my mind, no matter how much I’ve tried to keep you out. The only person I’ve ever truly wanted to know. And the only person I’ve ever wanted to know me.”

TLDR: This was such a fun read! Different than my typical reads and I kinda loved that. It’s got tension, suspense, humor, and heat. If you’re looking for a little adventure I recommend giving this one a try. No passport required.

I loved our FMC, Dr. Socorro Mejía, aka. Corrie. She’s smart and funny. A total badass who’s not afraid to take risks. She’s spent much of her career in academia trying to earn respect and prove that she’s more than just a pretty face. Dr. Ford Matthews is her hunky academic rival who also happens to be leading her dream expedition. What could possibly go wrong?!? I loved their banter, the tension, and the explosive chemistry. The jungle setting of this book was fun and I enjoyed learning the backstory surrounding their dig. The suspense at the end had me engaged and on the end of my seat.

I don’t want to give away too much because I think going in slightly blind is one thing I really enjoyed about the book. It definitely gives off some Indiana Jones, Romancing the Stone, and The Lost City vibes. So, if you dig any of those (no pun intended. OK, maybe) then you’ll enjoy this. Oh, and can I just say one last thing? You know I love an epilogue and this one had me grinning.

Tropes + things
Rivals to lovers
Second chance
Treasure hunt
Forced proximity
Only one tent
Waterfall rendezvous
Adventure + suspense
Dual POV/3rd person

Thank you @BerkleyRomance, @NetGalley, and the #JoyfulChaosBookClub for the ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own.

A romance novel with action? This is a sub-genre I had no idea I would enjoy as much as I did. Raiders of the Lost Heart plays on the big adventure movies and does it in a way that the entire story feels fresh. Enemies to lovers is another trope that plays out. Corrie and Ford have great chemistry and their rivalry sets the tone for how hard they fall. This was a really enjoyable read.