This was adorable and dare I say a bit cheesy.. but it worked for me! I haven’t read the first book in this series, but because I enjoyed this I will definitely give that one a shot too!

It was exactly the cheesy enemies to lover w Indiana Jones vibes you would imagine. Still a great, cute, quick read.

Jo Segura hits it out of the park again, blending romance, adventure, and respect for what we can learn and preserve through archaeology rather than stealing artifacts. I'm obsessed with Miri, even if others may get annoyed with "not like other girls" story. I like everything about her and her plunge forward, even when she is reckless and unthinking. Watching her and Rafa bond through banter and dreaming... Perfection! I did not see some of the twists coming in this story, and I look forward to more of this series!

Jo Segura has found my niche. I loooove her adventure romance novels. This one was just as fun as the first book, and both characters were very likeable. And oh man - the TWIST!! I DID NOT see that coming!

This was as fun as the authors first book. There were some laugh out loud moments. I love the cheesiness and puns in this book. And the cover is chef’s kiss!

Raiders of the Lost Heart was one of my top reads of 2023, so when I saw Jo Segura’s sophomore novel was available for ARC requests, I jumped at the chance. Sadly, Temple of Swoon does not live up to ROTLH. While the cover rivals ROTLH and Segura returns with a delightful adventure and fun puns, Temple of Swoon suffers from too many plotlines.

Insta-love is hard for me to get behind most of the time. It’s hard to figure out where the lust starts and affection begins, particularly when the two characters are thrust together in forced proximity for weeks to months. Miri and Rafa were both interesting characters on their own, but I found their quick love hard to believe, especially since they’re in an environment where it’s easy to attach yourself to the people surrounding you.

Miri is Corrie’s mentee, but has never led a dig or written a published journal article. It seems odd given that Corrie is well-published and well-known in the archeological community and has not helped give Miri that opportunity until now when it is thrust upon her to everyone’s surprise. Miri also makes decisions based on what Corrie would do throughout the book (WWCMD?), but she never really develops her own voice and thoughts in respect to how she should handle and lead this expedition. It would have been nice to have more time to delve into her claiming her own identity in the archeological world.

The lore of the Lost City of the Moon and its protectors was fascinating, but got lost in the midst of other plotlines (mainly Vauter). The story would have moved along much better and been more fascinating had the main conflict been Rafa being a protector of the Moon City while Miri is leading the expedition to find it. I would have loved to know more about the protectors and the city. Why did they leave? Why did they leave the riches? Why did they never come back? Why is it so important to continue to hide it? How did the protectors begin?

When I found out that the villain in the first book is the same villain in this book, I questioned how and why. The story already borders on fantastical that having the same cartoonish-like villain back again makes it more hard to believe. When you find out that Vauter is actually Rafa’s dad, I was so confused. While you get little hints that Rafa’s dad might not be as supportive as you think, Rafa definitely felt his love throughout his life and deeply cared for him. It seemed to be a plotline to give the story a more emotional punch, but ended up feeling overwhelming and confusing.

The article Rafa wrote in the epilogue was also super confusing. Why is he writing a FAQ when he hasn’t even published an article yet? How do people know all about this dig and that they found the Lost City? I would have loved to have spent more time on Rafa discovering his Brazilian heritage and his responsibilities as a protector of the Moon City.

While Segura’s sophomore novel brings a fresh perspective in romance and adventure, it fails to be as captivating as her debut.

I really enjoyed the story and the writing. The characters were sweet and I really liked the couple. Although, as much as I liked the story, I cannot stand the insta-love trope, it makes the couple getting together feel very unrealistic and somewhat boring. There was still tension between them because of the will they won’t they back and forth, and ultimately they are very cute together, but the trope that got them together is just something that I don’t personally like.

Wow this one kept hooked from beginning to end. The characters’ dynamic is intense and the plot is full of suspense. A gripping and an unforgettable story. I would definitely be recommending it.

This book was a very fun and engaging read! I loved getting to go along for the ride and had plenty of twists along the way! It was easy to get swept up in the love story, and I often found myself forgetting to put the book down. Would definitely recommend to fans of the first and those who are first time readers!

A sweet and spicy romance! I've been a long-time fan of the author and was so delighted with this story. A must-read for romance fans!