I chose this mostly because I love being out in nature, and this being set in a National Park, I thought I would love the setting. But for most of the book, the characters hated being there, animals were to be feared, plants were dangerous... I hated all of the interactions the characters had with nature. The romance also was off for me, with jagged starts and stops, and mostly just about physical attraction and not an actual care for the other. I just didn't connect with this at all. I can see where it could have made a funny rom-com, but the kind that makes me uncomfortable because of too many awkward situations. I know some people like this, but I hate watching people in those situations.

This was an amusing, silly adventure romance about two completely inept people stranded in the wilderness on the run after witnessing a murder! Our hero, Ryder, is the ultimate golden retriever boyfriend, who's all in for our heroine. He was a little bit of a hot mess and definitely giving himbo energy in the best way possible! Dr. Emily, our heroine, was a bit more capable but not for the outdoors, she's on an epic trip to feel connected to her deceased father, and has unexpectedly been dumped by her long time boyfriend, so she's just trying to figure out what to do with her life now. This is cheesy and very much like a hallmark or Netflix romcom, which I say with nothing but love because it's exactly what I wanted it to be!

I've seen this book compared to the movie Romancing the Stone, but since I’ve somehow never seen that one, let’s compare it to The Lost City—a movie that, while ridiculously unrealistic, was extremely entertaining.

The Jewel of the Isle started off a bit rocky for me as I wasn’t completely sold on the characters. However, they gradually won me over with their quirks. The relationship between the two definitely escalated from 0 to 100, but to be fair, I’d probably fall in love with the charming "tour guide" in a matter of days too, especially if we were constantly surrounded by danger and close calls with death. That kind of experience can really change a person.

Overall, if you're looking for a complete escape from reality and a good laugh, The Jewel of the Isle is the perfect choice.

DNF @35%
The blurb and the beginning of this book really gave me hope that this was going to be a fun, quick read. But I got almost halfway through the book and nothing exciting has happened yet - which tells me that everything is going to happen in the second half. I don't vibe with the pacing and I really don't love Ryder's character and the way the book is constantly putting him down or making him the joke.

I love Kerry Rea's millennial humor in her books. There were so many funny little one liners in this. It w.as quite different than her other 2 romances-kind of an over the top, silly adventure. It wasn't quite what I was used to reading so it was not my favorite from her. I can see how someone looking for a quirky different romance might enjoy

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea!

Emily made a promise to her Dad that she would travel with him to Isle Royale, an isolated national park in Lake Superior. When he dies, she decides to still take the trip to honor of his memory and to spread his ashes. Not equipped to handle the rugged terrain on her own, she hires a guide named Ryder to help her survive the trek. Ryder is dealing with a loss of his own and though it added some heaviness to the book, I enjoyed the exploration of grief from both perspectives. Where the story lost me was all of the diamond theft hijinks. The 'bad guy' caricature was a bit over the top for me and took away from my overall enjoyment of the book. I don't think the action/adventure was necessary but people who want less romance and more escapades in a book might enjoy it.

Many thanks to Berkley & Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a fun romance that also had adventure. Emily wants to go on an adventure and uses writer who runs a company, but that was originally run by his deceased brother. They are then thrown into witnessing a crime on the island. It really does have a lot of shenanigans and seeing the progression of Emily and writer’s relationship, especially when the truth about writers Outdoor skills comes out is interesting and entertaining to read. I really did enjoy the banter in the walk and the relationship between rider and Emily it’s a fun book

Somehow both a satisfying emotional exploration of grieving and a fun wilderness survival romp? I don't know how Kerry Rea does it, but I'm here for it.

This was such a silly campy book, and I had a great time reading it. If you enjoy movies like The Lost City or the Jumanji with The Rock, then I think you will enjoy this.

I knew I was in for a good time when the opening cracked me up with the breakup while wearing a bucket hat. I agree, that had sounded like a choice. Rea did a great job balancing the levity with some serious topics like Finn's grief, personal fulfillment, and self-worth.

My only complaint is maybe that the romance felt rushed as it all takes place in a few days, but I guess all those experiences can really solidify those feelings quickly. And honestly, it doesn't really matter since it was still a good time.

While the wilderness or at least the assassins really should have done these two in, I enjoyed things going from mildly bad to worse on a dime. I will leave you with two words: Bear Spray.

Cute and funny romance, with a tad of seriousness.
Emily Edwards is an ER doc who plans to visit a national park to scatter her dad's ashes. After her boyfriend breaks up with her, she hires a tour guide to accompany her, as she is not an outdoorsy type. Ryder Fleet is an ambassador of adventure, but is not really qualified to lead her in the wilderness, but he needs the money to purchase something to honor his brother's memory. These 2 are mismatched but both broken by guilt over their loved ones.
After a poor start with Ryder, Emily is infatuated with an archaeologist on the ferry ride, but later finds he is not a good match in many ways. Emily turns to Ryder for support and strength.
I laughed out loud at many of the quips, and enjoyed how the main characters fell in love.

Emily Edwards regrets that she put off traveling with her Dad to national parks as part of his retirement bucket list. Now it's too late since he's dead and she only has his ashes. Emily decides she will finally move forward and go to Isle Royal National Park to take the hike she should have taken with her Dad and spread his ashes.
Of course she's not going to go on her own. There are too many scary things in the woods and mountains. Emily will have to hire a tour guide. She sees that Fleet Outdoor Adventures has a very high rating and is pleasantly surprised that she is able to book a tour right away. What she doesn't find out until too late is the owner of the business, Caleb, died two years ago and his brother Ryder is in charge. Ryder had always done the marketing. Now that he finally has a customer, he figures he can just sort of fake it. It can't be that hard to hike in a national park.
Things start off badly from the beginning, when Ryder has to jump on the ferry because he's running late. Emily realizes quickly that he cannot even follow directions with a compass. As if things weren't bad enough, Emily and Riley see a brutal murder. They have to run from an archeologist and his thugs who want to get rid of witnesses in their pursuit of a rumored lost jewel.
Despite the suspense and danger, plenty of humor is mixed into the plot as Ryder shows how inexperienced he is and does some hare-brained stunts. With the two main characters constant closeness, there is bound to be some romance. It's not overwhelming and adds some extra emotional depth to two people who are almost polar opposite. I liked the title's play on "Jewel of the Nile" This novel is a little gem and was definitely fun to read.
@berkleyromance#berkleybesties

Emily is a very cautious person. As an ER doctor, she's well aware of all of the mishaps that can happen to a person. When her dad dies before he can begin his bucket list, she decides she needs to go on a trip to Isle Royale National Park, where camping is primitive and hiking is hard. She hires Ryder, the supposed trail guide who is dealing with grief of his own. Once there, they become involved in an adventure reminiscent of Romancing the Stone. This book was a fun read- it had funny moments, tender moments and twists that were really entertaining. I'll definitely read more by this author.

I love that we as a society have decided that not every book has to be thought provoking and deep! This book is just fun. It's an action rom com and it lives up to that!

When Emily hires a tour guide to take the trip to Superior with her after her boyfriend breaks up with her, hilarity ensues! It turns out her guide isn't actually a seasoned tour guide. In fact this is his first tour ever! Bad guys, chases, romance and silliness comes next. This book definitely gives The Lost City Vibes (sandra bullock and channing tatum movie). As a lover of The Mummy movies, Lara Croft, Indiana Jones, and The Librarian, this was right up my alley!

Overall I loved it and will continue to read Kerry Rea books!

Thank you to Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for the complimentary physical and audio copies of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐞!

Do you ever have a book that sits on your shelves for weeks, and when you finally pick it up, you think, “what took me so long?!” 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐞 by Kerry Rea is truly a diamond in the rough, because it was one of those books for me!

Read if you 💖:
•💞 Opposites Attract
• 🐍 Indiana Jones-style antics
• 🧗‍♀️ Characters pushed out of their comfort zone
• ⛴️ Himbos who would jump a pier for you

I’ll admit, I’m not one to usually collect “book boyfriends”, but if I did, Ryder Fleet would easily be in my top three. He’s a complete himbo, and despite barely knowing Emily, he’s ready to drop everything for her! It’s definitely a “He Falls First” moment, which I’m all about.

Another favorite aspect of this novel for me was the banter! It’s like “Indiana Jones” meets “New Girl”, with dramatic moments that are followed by lines so funny I had to pause the audiobook to get my giggles out. The narrators, Andrew Eiden and Emily Lawrence, deserve major credit for this as they bring every character to life and nail both the humor and the heavier moments, like when Emily and Ryder share about their recently deceased family members.

The only thing that kept me from giving this book five stars is that the spicier scenes felt a bit out of place at times. It was almost as if another author wrote them, because the phrasing didn’t feel cohesive with the rest of the book. There’s not too many of these moments, though, so I found them very easy to get through in order to move on to the real fun!

If you’re looking for an action-packed romance with tons of laughter and heart, be sure to grab a copy of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐞 at your favorite local bookstore or wherever audiobooks are sold.

With major Romancing the Stone vibes, Kerry Rea's latest sees the great outdoors bring both peril and passion in this gut-busting adventure. A delightfully fun and quick read perfect for the dreary and dark winter season.

Thanks to Berkley for the eARC of Jewel of the Isle by Kerry Rea.

What a fun book! It's got romance. it's got adventure. It's got a hardcore himbo who KNOWS he is a himbo! All things I am a sucker for, so clearly I enjoyed it.

In this book, we have two MCs who are grieving deeply, and that grief is something they both must tackle in order to grow and find happiness in their lives. Both Emily (FMC) and Ryder (MMC) are forced to address their respective grief amidst a fight for their lives.

This fight first starts with Ryder not exactly knowing how to camp and have basic wilderness skills and then progresses to an archaeologist who is determined to seek riches and glory for himself at anyone's expense.

I thoroughly enjoyed this romp of a book, wondering how Emily and Ryder were going to get off this island. The writing is so much fun, the red herrings and the foreshadowing were great, and I'll definitely be looking to read more books from Kerry.

I know, I know. I'm late to the party, but in my defense, I work on boats, the shipyard is busy and then the holidays. **insert stressed emoji**

This is an ARC review of The Jewel of the Isle. Mild spoilers below.

So, not to make this personal, but reading is a personal experience, and when something makes you feel *something*, then you have to share. Within the first 2 chapters I was crying. Now, you're probably thinking, "Phoenix, this is a romantic comedy adventure. Why on earth are you crying?"

Grief.

Simple. Short. To the point.

Grief is not a one-way street. It's an ocean—vast and sometimes unpredictable. Like Emily, our FMC, I, too, lost my father unexpectedly. And just like her father, mine was also a lover of adventure. He was a Merchant Marine and travelled the world. When he returned, he would tuck me into bed and tell me one of his sea adventures.

So, you can see why I was crying. While this is a romantic comedy adventure, probably inspired by Romancing the Stone/Jewel of the Nile (not hating because those are my favourite movies of the 80s), this is also a story about grief and the unexpected loss of loved ones.

Ryder loses his brother.

Emily, her father.

Neither of them knows how to cope. Understandable.

Let me explain, for those who have never lost a parent, sibling, loved one, etc. When someone dies, whether unexpected or not, it's like your whole world comes crashing to a stop. When it's expected you might have a chance for closure, but if it's not... you live with it for the rest of your life with a big "What if" hovering over your head.

What if Ryder hadn't missed his flight to his brother's bachelor hiking trip?

What if Emily had gone on the hiking trips with her father, or gone to the bookstore that day with him?

What if I had just stayed a couple extra days, I would have seen my dad for the last time (I was flying out to my boat). What if I had been home, I would have been able to do CPR while my mum got help (I had been a 911 first responder), or done *something*. Anything.

But Ryder missed his flight. Emily was too scared. I was at work.

But life still happened to us, and we had to live with it. Live with the unexpected. But the first two years, just like Ryder, I was a bouncy ball in a square box just bouncing off of everything with no direction and a whole lot of guilt for something that wasn't mine to bear.

I love that Ryder and Emily found a way to connect while still being chased by a psycho archaeologist with henchmen--and henchwoman (Butcher), all for the sake of a diamond. But go Ryder for sacrificing your discman! IYKYK.

I honestly could have done without the spice in this book, the build-up, the teasing, the flirting, the kissing, all 10/10. Some books, even romance, don't need the spice because the plot does its job.

So, well done Ms Rea. You made me cry multiple times (something not many books have done), I connected with the characters and laughed along the way.

4.5 stars. <3

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC!

love this! my coworker describes it as Jake Peralta from brooklyn 99 in the woods. and I agree. they are both so funny and the stakes are technically high (mutder, jewel thief etc) but it reads like a rom com and a good one at that.

Kerry Rea's The Jewel of the Isle kept me warm during the cold Christmas days.

Our protagonist, Emily, is grieving her father's death. Now she's visiting his uncompleted list of national parks in his honor. She contacts the owner of a wilderness guide company, Ryder, in the hopes of his helping her check one park off the list. Unbeknownst to her, he isn't much of an outdoorsman, but he agrees to take her to the remote Isle Royale National Park. Once at the park however, things take a turn for the worst and both Emily and Ryder are forced to sort through their grief and try to stay alive.

Full of adventure, excitement, and flirting, The Jewel of the Isle was a delight to read and I can't wait to see what else Kerry Rea has to offer.