This is another fun action filled adventure reminiscent of the Indiana Jones movies and Lara Croft. I enjoyed the expedition almost as much as the romance that developed between Miri and Rafa. The mystery is fascinating as is the location. The audiobook is a great way to read this exciting romantic comedy and it's narrated by Kyla Garcia.

In this delightful romantic comedy that blends the adventurous spirit of National Treasure with the excitement of Indiana Jones and a touch of romance, we dive into the promising journey of the classic archaeologist character. I had been eagerly looking forward to this read, but I was a bit worried it might not meet my high expectations or match its captivating cover. However, I was pleasantly surprised! Right from the start, I appreciated the book's historical accuracy while still allowing for some creative embellishments. The storyline and its development throughout the book were fantastic, perfectly capturing the essence of the enemies-to-lovers trope. Despite a few minor grammar and punctuation issues, this book was such a joy to read and has quickly become one of my favorites this month. I have a feeling it will be a go-to when I find myself in a reading slump. Jo Segura has definitely won me over, and I can't wait to explore more of her work.

Audience: Adult
Plot: 3.25 out of 5
Characters: 3.25 out of 5
Spice: 🌶️ out of 5

Tea Pairing: Cinny Roll Black Tea by Plum Deluxe

Keywords: Romance, Comedy, Witty, Banter, Slow burn, Archaeologists, Expeditions, Lost cities, Brazil

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley from Berkley Romance. Thank you! All opinions are my own.

From the very first page, this is definitely a romantic comedy – as there were several laugh-out-loud moments. This is a fun, witty novel that is set in the Amazon Rainforest, where Dr. Miri Jacobs has been assigned to help on the expedition to locate the lost Moon City. Not anticipating becoming co-lead, Miri is out to prove herself, her mentor, and the academic world that she can be a serious archaeologist. When she discovers that the very handsome photojournalist Rafael “Rafa” Monfils joins the expedition, sparks immediately fly. But Rafa has a mission of his own – to sabotage the expedition in order to protect his family’s lineage.

Throughout the novel, I kept getting ‘Romancing the Stone’ vibes (with Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner) because of the banter, fun, and slow-burn romance. The good-times vibes were definitely there. The overall pacing of the novel was good – with a balance of action, romance, and character growth. However, there were a several characters that I would have liked to have gotten to know more about or would have liked a bit more interactions with – such as Dr. Quinn, Felix, Logan, and Anissa.

The final chapters revealed a bit of a plot twist that I didn’t see coming. That new development changed the tone of the novel for me quite a bit, and I felt there was a sense of urgency. Overall I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to anyone who might have enjoyed the first one (Raiders of the Lost Heart) or fun, romantic comedies.

Segura's second novel does not disappoint. What would Dr. Corrie Mejia do? It is the mantra Dr. Miri Jacobs lives by. She is out to make a name for herself as an archeologist and the legend of protectors guarding a secret city will not stop her. Especially, when Dr. Mejia asks her to find it in secret. Rafa on the other hand is not just the journalist tasked with covering the mission but to lead people away from the secret city as the son of a protector.

It was enjoyable as much as the first one. I loved the humor in this book, such as Rafa's nickname for Miri, "Pringles". I loved the feeling of being uplifted by a romantic interest, like Rafa did for Miri. He shows her that she is already successful, confident, woman. He opens her eyes to the confidence that Miri already possesses. I cannot wait to read the next one!

Thank you Berkley Romance and PRH Audio for my gifted copies! All opinions are my own!⁣
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If you ever watching Romancing the Stone or even Indiana Jones, you should check out Temple of Swoon.
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This is an interconnected standalone, but follows Dr. Miriam Jacobs. She is Dr. Corrie Mejia’s protege. She’s never led an expedition before and runs into all kinds of trouble when Dr. Mejia and her partner aren’t able to make it. She has a love interest with journalist Rafael Monfils, who has joined them. I enjoyed their chemistry, banter and vine swinging! There was a lot of drama and action. I think I got a little bogged down in how much she doubted herself. She constantly questioned what Corrie would’ve done in her place. I love the look into archaeology and especially the perspective on preserving what they find. Overall I enjoyed this, but maybe not quite as much as Raiders of the Lost Heart. ⁣
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I listened to the audiobook and absolutely adored Kyla Garcia’s narration.

This book was such a fun read, which is no surprise honestly after loving Jo Segura’s first book Raiders of the Lost Heart. Temple of Swoon was RIGHT up my alley.

First, shout out to Berkeley Romance and Ace Publishers for gifting me an e-arc of this book! I was very excited be be given a chance to read this one and review it.

After her first book, I HAD to read Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura. It was a MUST. For me, the Latinx representation was just what I needed as a Latina in that same field as Dr. Corrie, SO I was thrilled to go back into this world with Miri and Rafael.

A Brazilian hidden city? A big bad chasing them down to exploit the artifacts? A badass female archaeologist and sexy male journalist?! YES.

I mean what more can you want?! 🫣🫠

I loved Miri. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to compare since I was obsessed with Corrie in the last book but Miri lived up to my expectations. She’s smart, she’s a badass (even if she doesn’t believe it at first) and she felt so real. Her insecurities and her need to prove to everyone that she is a badass… well it felt real. I think Jo Segura really hit home with a female in a male dominated field and how that can feel, especially as she is mentored by Dr Corrie who is (after her story) seen as a badass archaeologist in her field. Miri was bullheaded and stubborn and a bit daring (almost to her downfall) and I loved it. I just ate it up.

As for our leading man, Rafael. He was great, not my fave (sorry I just love me Ford Matthew’s) but he was an interesting character. I loved his smitten behavior with Miri and the way that he was fiercely protective and did not want to let anyone walk all over her (not that she would let them). The complicated relationship with his father and then of course the non existent one with his deceased mother really made him a loveable character. But I was getting annoyed with him as he worked against Miri even though he was clearly falling for her, and I don’t know if I can forgive him for that.

But the TWIST. Look I did not see that coming. I couldn’t really see it coming until it was like right in front of my face. But wow I exclaimed out loud when it happened and read until the wee hours of the morning to finish this book.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. The characters, the action, the spice, and the archaeology just do it for me 🤷🏻‍♀️ I look forward to any books Jo Segura writes because she’s got a fan in me.

3.5 stars! This was a fun and entertaining adventure rom-com. After reading Temple of Swoon, I'm realizing I need more adventure romances in my life.

I enjoyed the rainforest setting as well as the concept of an archaeological expedition to find a lost city. The pacing was great, and I didn't feel like it slowed down during any parts. However, I feel like the book was missing that it factor, which would've made it four or five stars. There could've been more action, higher stakes, more emotional depth, and/or less insta love.

And I didn't think the characters had the best chemistry. Based on the synopsis, there inevitably was going to be a major miscommunication/break-up, but I think that should've happened sooner so we could see the characters mend their relationship before the climax of the story. I also thought there would be a bit more Indiana Jones-style action. But this was definitely entertaining and unlike any romances I've read before!

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for sending me a copy of Temple of Swoon. As always, my reviews are one hundred percent voluntary and all opinions are my own :)

Solid 4.5 ⭐️ and a great read to start off 2025!

Jo Segura has done it again with this amazing novel! I love the exploration, rainforest and way her characters fall in love!

The plot to this book leaves so much room for creative freedom and I am so glad the author takes advantage of that! The characters were perfect and relatable even though surface level we have nothing in common!

I recommend this book and series to everyone! And NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP?!? The characters have communication??? It’s a wild good time!

My only critique is I feel the end went too fast! I would have loved more time finding and discovering the clues!

┆ ⤿ 💌 3.75 stars!

I really enjoyed raiders of the lost heart and this was the follow up! I loved the development of rafa and miri's relationship it was refreshing to have just pure interest from the beginning, no misunderstandings and hate turned love. Just two people who clearly are interested in each other, I also enjoyed their tension! The family issues Rafa was struggling through as well were absolutely heartbreaking.

However, I think the pacing and action of the first book worked better. Within this one we were either flying through action scenes or absolutely nothing was happening at all. I also wasn't too big a fan of the ending where we are basically just told the answer to any question we may have.

Overall, still a fun read makes me want to watch some Indiana Jones! Thank you to Berkley and netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Welcome back to Jo Segura's adventure rom-com world! While you don''t need to read RAIDERS OF THE LOST HEART before reading this one, I would recommend it because it is referenced a lot. I enjoyed the twist and appreciated that this book isn't just a rom-com. It is spicy, but the first one is spicier.

I waited a YEAR for this sequel and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

Segura is quickly becoming one of my favorite auto-buy authors. Temple of Swoon is an excellent follow-up with cameos from characters we loved to rooting for new ones in the sweltering heat of the Amazon! Miri x Rafa will have you swooning from the moment these two meet, interchanging snacks, and setting their sights on discovering a lost city. Like it's predecessor, ToS is an action-packed, steamy, and emotional read that will have you grinning from ear-to-ear or teary eyed, depending on where you are in it's pages.

I truly cannot recommend this series enough! 12/10 stars

To be fair, I didn’t read the first book, but I don’t think that matters since the MCs from it aren’t really in this, just mentioned.

There was a lot going on in this book, but not as action packed as expected for something marketed as Indiana Jones with a love story. Insta-love doesn’t bother me, but it lacked the rom-com aspect I was looking for.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this one! I liked the author’s previous book a lot, so I was really excited to pick this one up.

I love the archaeological expedition plot, and I flew through this book. The writing style was easy to follow along with, and the story flowed well. I laughed a lot while reading about Miri, and I was rooting for her the whole time. The 3rd-Person POV worked really well, and I liked how it jumped back and forth between Miri and Rafa.

Right from the beginning, I had my suspicions about characters and situations, and I was excited to be right. I liked seeing both sides of what was happening with the expedition, but I also liked the mystery, the betrayal and the tension that came up. The ending was fast-paced and the tension and excitement were amped up. I thought it was really well written, and I couldn’t put it down.

Miri was a good character. I liked her quirkiness and I liked how she kept trying to be confident and badass. I also liked how she felt defeated, frustrated, and scared at times because it made her feel more realistic. Rafa was a good contrast to Miri. They clicked really well, and I didn’t mind the insta-lust and connection between them. I liked how conflicted Rafa was over certain things, and I liked how it was portrayed.

Overall this was an exciting adventure and swoony romance with lots of humour and heart.

Let me begin with, I enjoyed this story more than the first! Their love at first sight shtick was cute and I liked their personalities together. Obviously their predicament was that he was standing in the way of everything she ever hoped for, even if it was for a good cause. While I think it was really good twist, I definitely saw the Dad card coming, though maybe I just jump to conclusions too quickly haha. I liked everyone for the most part and disliked the ones we were supposed to dislike. I wanted more focus on the moon city and there just wasn't a lot of information given by the end, beyond the small story. Hopefully bc the author is building up to something else? Anywho, this was a 4 for me!

I enjoyed Corrie and Ford from the first book and as they were the leads on this book’s dig as well we got some of them. But our focus was on this adorable mess of a woman named Miri or Dr. Miriam Jacobs. She’s my kind of person: smart and in charge and independent but quirky and a little accident prone. Loved the change meeting with the model type Rafael but how that sitch quickly changed.
Loved the rivals to lovers though she thought they were on the same page. There adventure with the fortune hunters looking for the same site as them. All the fun rope swinging and banter.
There was a pretty big twist at the end that threw all of us off. We didn’t see it coming, me and the characters😂.

I love this archeology centered series! It makes for such a fun setting and adventure. This book had me on the edge of my seat and I loved every minute of it.

This one was just okay. The jokes were kind of juvenile and I did not like the MMC. I had high hopes based on the cover and premise, but unfortunately I did not enjoy it as much as I would have hoped.

A thrilling adventure!

This story hooked me from the very first page! While it leans more heavily on adventure than romance, the witty banter between Miri and Rafa made it impossible to put down.

Miri's relentless determination to prove herself, no matter the risk, contrasts perfectly with Rafa's secretive motives, keeping you guessing about who to trust.

Packed with action, mystery, humor, danger, and just the right amount of spice, this adventure is a must-read. For an even more immersive experience, I highly recommend the audiobook!

Thank you @berkleypub and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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This insta-love adventure gave major Indiana Jones vibes but as a romcom. A holy temple must be protected but also there’s love, danger and adventure! This was fun!

Temple of Swoon:⁣
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Thanks for the free book @prhaudio @berkleyromance #BerkleyPartner #PRHAudioPartner ⁣
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Jo Segura is back with another archeological type romcom and it’s cute and spunky.⁣
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Miri is set on proving herself to be the badass she knows she can be. Rafa joins her in the Amazon as a journalist/photographer but has an anterior motive. Make sure they don’t get to the Cidade da Lua. All the sabotage. But can he really deny his Pringles the chance to prove herself in the archeology world?⁣
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This was a fun and quick read. The characters have a very heated will they/won’t they and the tension is palpable. I really liked Miri and how she carried herself. The twist in the ending was definitely something I saw, but it was good! I love a little mystery and danger with my romcom, ok?⁣
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Audio was wonderful. Kyla Garcia really brought the banter, snark, and steam I look for with Jo Segura’s work. ⁣
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Out now, definitely one to grab! (Swipe to see me meeting the amazing Jo at @loveyallbookfest last year!)⁣
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QOTD: Any book, movie, or tv recs for today?