I really enjoyed this rom-com! I loved the adventure aspect to it, it gave the book some real excitement! It was a fun, forced-proximity romance that had a lot of comedy and I thoroughly enjoyed it, I will be looking forward to more books by this author in the future!

A fun, adventurous romp. Sucked me in from the start. I did find that my attention drifted at points, but that's honestly probably just my weird brain and no fault to this book.

I really enjoyed this second book in this world. It was fun and adventurous like I was expecting. I really liked the characters as well.

This is a humorous romance that I really enjoyed. Emily is trying to fulfill her father’s bucket list of national parks. She hires a guide named Ryder to show her the island.
They witness a brutal murder and have to hide from the criminal, and end up trying to evade a group of archeologists searching for a lost jewel.
All in all this is a funny romantic romp, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Emily Edwards, grieving the loss of her beloved father, vows to complete his National Park bucket list, beginning with Isle Royale, a rugged and isolated island cluster set in Lake Superior; home to predators and shipwrecks.

The problem is, Emily is not an outdoors girlie. She was always too anxious to join her Dad when he wanted to do this kind of thing, so if she is going to make the Isle Royale trip a success, she's gonna need to hire a guide. There's also one other problem. Emily sort of waited until the last minute to procure said guide and at such a late date, pretty much everyone is booked.

She ends up contacting Fleet Outdoor Adventures. She knows nothing about this company, like the fact that they've been pretty much dormant since the co-owner, and expert outdoorsman, Caleb Fleet, tragically passed away. His brother, Ryder, tried to keep the company afloat, but it has sort of petered out. Nevertheless, he's desperate for cash to make an important purchase, so when Emily's inquiry comes in, unprepared as he is, he accepts.

They're both fish out of water from the start, and also end up clashing like oil and vinegar, but determined to stick it out for varying personal reasons, they soon find themselves doing the thing; deep in the wilderness. They aren't the only ones on Isle Royale though, and they end up being witnesses to a vicious crime, and soon find themselves on the run from a group of rogue archaeologists searching for a precious jewel.


The dangerous and stress-filled circumstances end up pushing the two closer-and-closer together, until it is less oil and vinegar and more peanut butter and jelly. While this analogy may seem silly, I think you get the point. There are sparks in more than just the campfire...

This story was a great fit for my tastes. I enjoyed both of these characters so much, and the dual narration of the audiobook was so well done. Their comedic timing had me laughing out loud, especially Ryder's perspective. Honestly, this was what I was hoping Raiders of the Lost Heart would be ((and wasn't)). I can't wait to read more from Kerry Rea if this is the level of humor, heart and plot we're going to get every time.

There wasn't a lot of steam, but honestly, I liked that and thought it fit very well given the set of circumstances our characters find themselves in. Eventually, there is some though and it was worth the wait. There is a ton of great character development though, as well as a fun and exciting plot. It was, naturally, giving me Romancing the Stone</i> vibes in such a fresh, modern way.

I appreciated the exploration of grief and felt the author did a great job presenting those very serious topics, while also managing to keep the overall narrative light and engaging.

Overall, I would recommend this to Readers who enjoy adventurous Adult Contemporary stories with forced proximity, pining and thorough character development. I would also highly recommend the audio format, if you have it available to you. The dual narration and narrator's voices/delivery were perfection. It absolutely brought it to life.

Thank you to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I am definitely excited to read more from this author!

I had such a fun time reading this action packed adventure romance!! Highly recommend this rom com - heavy on the com.

Emily is determined to visit and hike Isle Royal to complete her father’s bucket list after she loses him unexpectedly. Unfortunately, her long term boyfriend just broke up with her and backs out of the trip. Now, for the non outdoorsy Emily this is… less than ideal. Enter Ryder - expert tour guide (or so he says) Somehow the two of them wind up in the middle of an intense battle for a priceless jewel and have to run for their lives throughout the National Park while maybe falling in love along the way

This book was just so fun and I really enjoyed my time reading it!

hate to say it, but this was a DNF for me at about 50% -- it felt so overly cheesy and unbelievable, while also not being that enjoyable or fun. so it lost me. the plot is flimsy at best, overdramatic and ridiculous, and none of the characters seemed to have real depth, so it just didn't grab me in any way, and as soon as it started feeling like indiana jones dialed up to a 12, i called it quits.

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.