Member Reviews

If, like me, you are old enough to remember the films Romancing the stone and The jewel of the Nile then you will appreciate this book as much as I did. Then add in a phone stealing monkey, a sassy and more than capable heroine and I was fully invested.

I love it when attractive women are underestimated and Winter was more than happy to use it to her advantage. While grumpy Dr Logan has already made assumptions and pegged her as a distracting bimbo when all hell breaks loose she shows him and the rest of the team exactly what she is made of.

A lost city of gold, rogue security and danger lurking behind every jungle palm gives this book tense drama like any good action movie. I was half expecting a rogue boulder à la Indiana Jones and maybe an alligator or two.

Fun with a capital F! This was a romp in the jungle I didn’t mind taking, especially from the comfort of my sofa.

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I requested this book from NetGalley from the cover alone. The bright colors, fun composition, and pretty heroine immediately made me think of the 2001 Playstation Barbie Explorer video game. I had that mental picture the entirety of my reading experience. Unfortunately, my fondness for that series didn't translate to this story. I hate to be frank, but this book was a mess. The hero had a doctorate, but the dialogue was something straight out of a CW drama. This book was retitled as From Thailand With Love and is the fifth book in an existing series. I could tell I wasn't getting the whole picture and there were multiple plotlines I was dropped in the middle with no prior context.

Love Quest was also really inconsistent with its themes as well. The book opens up on the heroine spotting a juicy pair of buns chasing a monkey around a cabana. It was quite the opener and I thought it would set the tone for the novel. There was plenty of provocative dialogue and steamy tension throughout the book. Imagine my surprise when the intimate scenes were closed door and it was passed over in a few sentences. What's the point of introducing the hero in his birthday suit if you don't deliver the gift? It didn't make any sense to me. Add in the juvenile dialogue and it left me very disappointed as a romance reader. It's literally titled Love Quest and I had a difficult time finding it.

I love trying out new authors and Camilla Isley is unfortunately not one I will be returning to read. It was evident that this was part of a series and I was left in the dark. The characters spoke like teenagers despite their impressive matriculation. I'm sorry but a PHD wouldn't use that many "likes" in a paragraph. Despite not enjoying the writing, the cover art is worth 5 stars on its own. Whoever designed it deserves a raise. It was bright and immediately drew my eye in the NetGalley catalog. It's a shame it wasn't Explorer Barbie like I had hoped it would be. Looks like I won't receive any digital coins or experience points because this was a failed Love Quest.

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A hot steamy dangerous romantic trip in the jungle, what could go wrong? Or right? Logan and Winter don’t have the best of first meetings. Even though they are instantly attracted to one another they are here for a job and that is where their heads need to be. Totally. No romance whatsoever. Right.

I found this book to be exciting and charming. I liked Winter and Logan as individuals and together. Their chemistry was leaping off the page and I only had a good time while reading it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

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I didn’t realize this was in the middle of a series of interconnected stand alones but that didn’t take any enjoyment out of reading, you can just def tell at the beginning these are characters that have a fictional history together lol. I’m a sucker for a good adventure romance so I Obvs had to pick this one up! It was a tad slow at the beginning (maybe bc I haven’t read the previous book?) but once they actually hit the jungle things get interesting! I liked Winter from the get go. She’s sassy, fierce and passionate, everything I love in an fmc. Logan was a harder sell, his antiquated anti-feminism about having a female on the expedition just didn’t sit well with me. I grew to like him but mainly bc winter did. The action was where this book was at though! The last half was full of Romancing the Stone/Lara Croft esque adventure and I am here for it! This is a quick fun summer read

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This is such a fun rom-com! I loved the adventure of the Thai jungle, but my absolutely favorite part was that the FMC was not a damsel in distress. She held her own, and not in a way that made her unlikable. The main characters have great chemistry and I was able to read this in just a few hours!

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Summer meets Logan when she is the photographer on his archaeology expedition. He seems to dislike her from the moment they meet, but is he hiding how he really feels? A great read with adventure to keep you guessing what will happen next. I like how it was told from both points of view and look forward to the next book in this series.

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An Indiana Jone meets The Lost City romance!

Love Quest is a snarky and fun follow-up to The Love Theorem, featuring a grumpy sunshine duo trekking through the jungle, searching for lost treasure.

But will our duo be able to work together to save themselves or be doomed from the start?

I loved everything about our duo. All the misgivings, the sass and snark, and the self-discovery truly make their story perfection.

I'd love to see future novellas featuring their grand adventure!

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Love Quest is the 2nd book in a series of re-released books by Camilla Isley, but it can easily be read as a standalone. Love Quest was previously released as From Thailand with Love. I haven’t read the previous version, so I’m not sure how many changes were made between releases, but I did enjoy reading this version. I’ll admit, The Love Theorem is still my favorite between the 2 books I’ve read so far in the series, but not every book can be my favorite, right?

I’ll be honest, it took me a bit to warm up to the two main characters in this book, Winter and Logan. I think a lot of that was influenced by the characters’ opinions of each other, as this is an enemies to lovers romance. I definitely took to Winter faster than Logan.

I really enjoyed the exotic setting in the remote jungle of Thailand. Plus, the search for a lost city gave a great sense of adventure. The book ended up with a lot more action than I was expecting which kept things interesting and exciting. It all definitely made this book different from many romance books I’ve read!

I’m happy to see that this series will be continuing, as I’ve enjoyed it so far. I’ve already been approved to receive an advance copy of the next book, The Love Proposal, so I’m excited to continue the series.

I received a free advance copy of this book, but all opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to NetGalley, Boldwood Books and Camilla Isley for the opportunity to read the book early!

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3.5 stars

It’s not every day some handsome man is outside your villa, butt-naked and yelling at a monkey. It isn’t long until Winter realises it’s the same man who’s leading the expedition she’s on, Dr. Logan Spencer. Nice cheeks aside, Winter can’t stand him. He’s rude and doesn’t think she belongs on the team all because she’s a woman. Though when the two are forced to trek through the jungle together she can’t deny the heat that rises. Maybe Dr. Logan Spencer isn’t so bad after all?

Whilst I enjoyed the premise of this novel, unfortunately it fell flat for me in other areas. I’m always down for adventure or travel plots, I love being able to ‘explore’ from the comfort of my own house – this initially drew me in. I liked the excitement of the expedition, and the thrill of potentially uncovering something. The characters are supposed to be experts in their field, but they felt more like teenagers. When they first meet with the main character the men from the expedition discuss how attractive she is, and it just made them appear unprofessional. I also struggled to like the love interest, who only seemed to dislike Winter because she was female. It was kind of explained later on, but it still didn’t sit right with me. In saying all that, this was still a fun read. The writing was good, and I enjoyed the whole jungle setting, there were just a few things that didn't work for me.

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Winter Knowles is in Thailand for a photography excursion in the jungle, joining Dr. Logan Spencer and his team to find a lost city of gold. Sparks fly between the pair but neither will compromise their professionalism. Bad mercenaries crash their discovery and Winter and Logan must survive together in the jungle, rescue their friends and the treasure.

I enjoyed this quite a lot - It was light, fluffy, wholesome and fun. I’m a big fan of adventure movies and stories, this definitely ticked those boxes!

Stop and read this book if you like:
✨ Banter
✨ Cheeky nicknames
✨ Adventure and travel
✨ Archeology
✨ Treasure hunting
✨ Movies such as Lara Croft, The Mummy, The Lost City

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an early copy to review.

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Winter Knowles is a travel photographer ready to set off on a jungle expedition in Thailand to find a lost city that is potentially filled with gold. She wakes up to a hilarious scene of a guy who didn't lock his hut at night and realizes a monkey stole his phone. Except he sees the monkey while he's in the shower-naked. This funny guy with an amazing ass is the perfect start of the morning. Until Winter realizes naked man is the leader of her jungle expedition, Dr. Logan Spencer. Not only is he the leader, but he seemingly has something against women. The tension between the two only seems to grow as they are with each other for longer. But when things go awry, and they face imminent danger, they have to work together to make sure they see another day.

This book is a great summer read. It's quick, easy, and hilarious. I really enjoyed it, and it started to bring me out of a reading slump. Winter is a badass, and I admire her so much. Definition of a boss bitch. Logan is the epitome of sex appeal, but he is definitely a grumpy professor type. Which happens to be just my type, and Winter's, even though she doesn't realize it. Their storyline progressed so nicely, and I loved how everything unfolded at precisely the right time. Learning about Logan's ex, and falling in love with Logan's friends and the expedition crew. Additionally, the descriptions of the expedition made me feel like I was really there. I love that this book had danger as the conflict instead of a break-up. This book is a slow burn, but it's a quick read, so how can it be that slow? I definitely recommend this book if you need an easy read for the summer.

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She is a travel photographer, on a new job deep in the jungle. While talking on the phone with her friend she sees a hot, naked guy running after the monkey who stole his phone. He turns out to be an expedition leader, an archaeologist trying to find the city of gold. And he is not exactly the friendliest person.

A lot is riding on this one mission, he wants to save his reputation, stick it to his ex and mostly find the city of gold. He planned for everything, but the hot photographer, who keeps getting in his way.

They start as enemies, but when they are trapped together in the jungle, they learn to work together and sparks between them fly.

It's an adventuristic story, it gave me strong Indiana Jones vibes. There is danger, adventure, travel, and lots of cute moments.

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Overall I did enjoy the book, there was some fun adventure and I enjoyed the treasure hunt in the jungle aspect. The main characters do have good banter. However the male main character was pretty mysogenistic and their relationship felt very superficial and more like lust than love. I have a hard time believing that they didn't just drift apart with long distance over time. But again it was a lighthearted short read with a really fun premise and some adventure. This is a fade to black romance.

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The premise of this book sounded so good. There were some good story lines, but the characters were hard for me to connect too. I just found myself not caring about them and in turn didn't really find myself rooting for them in any way.

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I adored this book! A cute and hilarious enemies to lovers Rom-Com. I couldn't get enough of this! So awesome!
I just reviewed Love Quest by Camilla Isley. #LoveQuest #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

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Firstly I’d like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. This book was such a fun easy read, I couldn’t put it down.. it’s was a classic “enemies to lovers” with a tomb raider, meets Indians jones vibe.. great book for a beach read. It was super cute!

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I'm gonna be honest, this book is everything you would expect (insta-love, shallow leads, and a plot that does not make sense in the slightest bit). But it's a fun romp and I'm down for a little fun.

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I am sure that this book will be right up someone's alley! I thought it would be something I would love (having studied archaeology, loving Laura Croft and Indiana Jones, and working in research for UCB). Unfortunately there were several elements that just kept pulling me out of the story so I could not get immersed into it like I wanted. For example, UC Berkeley is NEVER referred to as Berkeley University, ever. Also schools don't dictate to their faulty/researchers any elements of their studies (such as hiring team members for them). And someone suffering badly from an infection does not miraculously heal after one dose of antibiotics. It was suspension of disbelief after suspension of disbelief here.

And I could not get over the absolute misogyny of the MMC. The locker room talk at the beginning of this novel almost had me DNF, but I decided to push through, assuming they would get called out or learn from it. But it's never dealt with. The MMC is biased against women as professionals while sexualizing one that works for him (out loud to their colleagues). Hello, HR, I'd like to file a complaint.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing an eARC of this book.

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There were plenty of things I enjoyed about this book, but unfortunately also some I did not like quite as much. It had a good pace, and the main characters definitely had fun banter that almost carried the whole book. Where it fell, unfortunately, was in the characterisation of both leads. Winter was supposedly an experienced travel photographer, and wouldn't stop telling everyone, but still balked at the idea of bugs in the jungle. Logan kept saying things that boiled down to "I don't hate women but..." which isn't the great basis for any lead. I also felt like there could have been a lot more meat in this book, as it was remarkably short. The side characters didn't get enough chance to shine, and while an obvious villain can be fun when done right, the plot felt rushed.
I'd definitely try the author again, but it feels as if she needs a bit more time to grow.

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3 stars - I enjoyed reading Love Quest by Camilla Isley. Photographer Winter Knowles goes on a jungle expedition and meets Dr. Logan Spencer and his exploration crew. While on the action-packed adventure (think Indiana Jones), Winter and Logan are unable to deny their attraction despite being “enemies.” Coming close to death, Winter learns to forgive her twin sister Summer for her prior indiscretions (see The Love Theorem by Isley). I wanted to LOVE this story but just had trouble with Logan. He’s a real jerk in the beginning and doesn’t really change his tune much throughout the book. The relationship seemed a bit forced and too quick to me. There was attraction and chemistry but no relationship development. I do look forward to reading Summer’s story in the next installment of this series.

A big “Thank You” to NetGalley, the author Camilla Isley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an advance copy in return for an independent, honest review.

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