Thanks so much to @berkleypub @berkleyromance and @acebookspub for the free book!

In Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura, Dr. Miriam Jacobs wants to be a badass like her archaeologist mentor. And she gets her chance co-running an expedition in search of the Moon City, hidden somewhere in the Amazon. But then her co-lead breaks his hand (he deserved it!), equipment goes missing and weeks go by without any progress. Plus a notorious thief is trying to reach the city first. Oh, and there’s Rafael Monfils, a super hott photojournalist that’s assigned to her team to write a story about her quest.

I liked Miri overall. She has a lot of self-doubt but also gumption to prove herself and take risks. There’s sexism in her academic field and plenty of men on page telling Miri what she’s capable of and dismissing her. But I liked that she didn’t give up, and had Rafa to support her.
I didn’t read the first book in the series but there is some overlap with those MCs popping up and the same villain, and it’s explained enough that I wasn’t lost.
I’m looking forward to what’s next, and if this series is a trilogy, I hope Anissa gets her own book!

- forced proximity
- instant attraction
- moderate steam
- WDTK? Chapter 10

I have been waiting for this book since finishing Raiders of the Lost Heart and I am thrilled to report it did not disappoint! Segura is able to find a delightful balance between adventure and action, and romance and steam. Right from their awkward first meeting, Miri and Rafa stole each others' hearts and mine! I loved that they were both dealing with similar insecurities that manifested in very different ways in their lives. It made their instant connection feel authentic.

I loved watching their journey into Amazon. Miri's spontaneous bravery and Rafa's quiet awe over it was entertaining and so sweet. I was also completely floored by the big twist towards the end of the book. Looking back there were certainly clues that led to it, but I was so entranced by the connection between Miri and Rafa that I couldn't see outside of it. I could say a thousand good things about this book. I can only hope that Segura writes another in this universe because I cannot get enough!

I read Raiders of the Lost Heart when it came out, and while I loved the premise, I didn't love the male love interest or the set-up for their romance. I very much wanted to give this author another chance.

I liked the couple a lot more in this one, despite the fact that Rafa was (similarly to the first book) sabotaging Miri's expedition for half the story. My biggest issue is how it was handled, I wish the truth had come to light sooner than the last 20% of the book and there had been a chance for them work through it, instead of her instantly forgiving and hooking up with him.

I also wish there had been more archeology on page; more description and more of Miri actually figuring out the mystery. There was more fun action in this one, though! I'm still on the hunt for a book that gives me the same feels as The Lost City and The Mummy in 2025, it seems.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the e-arc!

Well this was quite fun! As an energetic, ambitious, but a bit over the top and clumsy person - I completely related to Miriam! I also relate on so many levels to feeling like you have to prove yourself just because some asshat is trying to discredit you, or because of your gender. She is flawed and makes mistakes, but she is also fierce and smart and funny. I love an adventure story and this one plus the romance was easy to fly through! The twists were gasp worthy, the danger and escapes, and the ending had me perfectly content.

Although this was the 2nd in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone (though I will say it made me realllly want to go back and read the first one).

This is how you do insta-love the right way! It's like love at first sight but obviously not everyone trust themselves enough to embrace that

Temple of swoon was the first action/adventure romance novel I’ve read, and it’s a quick read.

It reminded me of the live-action Dora the Explorer movie (but make them adults and add some romance). I also noticed similarities to Indiana Jones! The plot was fun and delivered exactly what I’d expect from an adventure story.

The romance was cute (I just wish it was more of the main focus) & I really loved the ending!!

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 364 / Genre: Action Adventure Romance
Release Date: January 7, 2025
🥳#HappyPubDay!🎉

Archaeologist Dr. Miriam Jacobs is on a mission to find the Lost City of the Moon hidden deep in the Amazon rainforest. Journalist Rafael Monfils is there to document the journey, but his father has also tasked him with sabotaging the mission to make sure the Lost City of the Moon is never found.

So, there are two big parts to this story. One part is the slow-burn romance between cute-but-nerdy Miri and super-hot-guy Rafi. And then there’s the adventure-mystery part where they’re trying to find the Lost City but bad guys are getting in their way. So if the mystery part of it matters to you most, I would read Raiders of the Lost Heart first because this book will have some spoilers in it. But if you’re more in it for the romcom and overall story part, you can jump right into this one. The two books have some character crossover and both have the same romcom-adventure combo to them. I enjoyed and highly recommend both books.

Thank you, @JoSeguraBooks, @BerkleyPub, @BerkleyRomance, and NetGalley for my free copy.

I really like the concept of these books- Indiana Jones, but make it a RomCom with a badass female lead. Unfortunately, what doesn't work for me is what the author keeps doing with love interests- which is having them attempt to sabotage the lead's careers. This one also just felt too much like the first one. And while "Pringles" may have been a cute term of endearment a couple times, by the end of the book, I was over that. I did like her team and wish we had gotten to know them a bit better!

Temple of Swoon is Jo Segura's second novel and sort of follow up to Raiders of the Lost Heart. An adventurous rom-com featuring new main characters and some cross-over characters. The insta- love/lust trope is a hard one for me because a lot of times, it comes across as forced. Temple of Swoon didn't feel that way to me, but I also felt underwhelmed by the love connection. Maybe that was due to the Amazon expedition, where a lot was going on, but nothing really happened. It was just a weird mixed bag for me. The writing was good, and the characters were fine. Just overall an okay read. I enjoyed Raiders of the Lost Heart more, and I do look forward to the next Jo Segura book.
I was provided an advanced copy by netgalley and the publisher for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

Okay this story was GREAT! I love a book with POC representation and this was an excellent one! I absolutely loved Miri and Rafa and I loved that we got both of their POVs because I think if we didn’t, their relationship wouldn’t have made a ton of sense. But they were both painfully human and that made me love them even more. Their spark was instant but it was fun to see how it grew as time went on. And the spice was spicing! A few word choices that took me out of it but overall, the spice was well placed and well written. The story was also well paced. It’s easy to screw up pacing when a story needs to take place over an extended amount of time but this was really well done. This was by far one of the most FUN books I’ve ever read. Start to finish, it gave me so much joy. It was heartfelt, it was really funny, and at times, hysterically relatable. I cannot wait to read whatever Jo Segura writes next!

I definitely liked this a lot more than Raiders of the Lost Heart. Temple of Swoon has a lot more action and archeology adventure, while also including a great romance. There were several laugh out loud moments and lots of fun chemistry. This was a really fun, quick read and very movie like!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley for access to this arc.

Thank you to Berkley Romance for the free copy! All opinions are my own.

I adored Jo Segura's first action adventure romance last year and was so excited to read book two in her fun series set in the world of archeology!

Dr. Miri Jacobs is surprised to find herself as the co-lead on an expedition through the Amazon rainforest, attempting to find the Lost City of the Moon. Journalist Rafael Monfils is along for the ride, documenting the search while following his own hidden agenda to keep people away from the city and protect his family's legacy.

Miri's need to prove herself leads her to make rash decisions, putting herself and her team in risky situations along their journey. It felt like an action movie in a book, and I fully enjoyed the experience, giggling at Miri's antics and gasping at the dangers lurking in her path. Miri is an endearing main character, a strong female in a male dominated industry who is willing to push herself to the brink to prove she deserves every bit of her success.

The chemistry between Miri and Rafa was obvious from their first embarrassing run-in, and it had the perfect amount of buildup. And can we talk about that cover?! It is absolute rom com perfection, so eye-catching and perfect for the story!

Read for:
Indiana Jones style adventures
Swinging from vines
Talk of danger boning
Non-ironic use of the word 'rad'

My heart wanted to love this, but it was just an ok read. I enjoyed the adventure that Miri and Rafa faced. Their relationship was definitely insta-love which made me cringe multiple times. Overall, I didn't hate it, but I wouldn't read it again.

*Thank you partners @berkleypub @berkleyromance and @prhaudio for the #gifted e-galley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

Temple of Swoon

Get ready to swing from the vines in this sophomore novel from Jo Segura!

On an adventure to find the lost city of the moon, Miri is unexpectedly thrust into a leadership role and struggling to find her footing as lead archeologist. We always stan a badass woman dominating in male dominated fields! Unfortunately, it feels like everything that can go wrong does - in part due to the incredibly handsome photographer on the dig team, who is trying to prevent the team from finding the lost city for family reasons.

Check this one out if you’re looking for:
- insta love/lust
- forced proximity / workplace romance
- Amazon rainforest adventure romance
- badass woman in male dominated fields (archeology)
- Literal swinging from vines

Thank you to Berkley for this ARC! Temple of Swoon is on shelves January 7, 2025. My opinions are my own.

If you like Indiana Jones, Lara Croft, and smut… then this is the book for you!!!

Dr. Miriam Jacobs, an ambitious archaeologist, is ready to prove herself on her first major expedition in the Amazon rainforest. She’s out to find the Lost City of the Moon—but things get complicated when a HOT journalist, named Rafa, joins the team. While Miriam is focused on making the discovery of a lifetime, Rafa has a hidden agenda…

Now as a former archaeologist, the “treasure hunting” aspect of this book kind of drove me crazy. Despite what the movies may tell you, never once was there an evil treasure hunter that I had to race against to find the world's greatest treasure. But the 90s baby in me who grew up watching soooo many treasure hunting movies LOVED this book. It was a super fun, action packed read. And it was filled with some veryyyy nice steamy, rainforest romance. 

And I will definitely never forget about the phrase “danger banging.”

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing for an advanced copy of this book! 

Tropes:
- strangers-to-lovers
- forced proximity
- archeologist fmc x journalist/photographer mmc
- workplace/adventure romance
- slow burn
- insta love

I love this whole Indiana Jones with a female lead vibe this book gives off.

There is a nice amount of action as the main character, Dr. Miriam Jacobs, is searching for a lost city in the Amazon.

I like the fact that Miriam is trying really hard to build her own self confidence up.

There is a bit of family conflict between the MMC, Rafael Monfils, and his father. It’s a nice touch that Rafael is trying to thwart Miriam’s success at finding the lost city.

There are also mentions and a minor appearance to the main characters from Segura’s first book, RAIDERS OF THE LOST HEART.

The spice level is medium.

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This book is about two adults who want to start their lives, doing what they want to do and not what is expected of them and to be taken seriously. Ok. Ok. Ok. There are a lot of cute, fun rom-com moments in this book and yes, they’re hunting for the Lost City of the Moon. One is doing it so they can understand the history of the people that lived there, and the other one is there to take pictures and to make sure that the Lost City will not be found. However, you cannot help who and where you fall in love.

This was my first Segura book, and it will not be my last book. Well, this book can be read as a standalone, it is a second book. Just different characters and of course a different plot. I liked getting to know about little parts of the first book through this one and I will be reading it. I thought this plot was cute, a nerdy archaeologist is ready for the world to take her seriously and to be the badass that she knows can be. However, the problem might be that she doesn’t believe in herself that much. I loved getting to know the characters more throughout the book and seeing their development. I found this book to be fast paced, and easy to read. I normally find insta love annoying but the way that the author wrote the insta love I didn’t have any issues with it at all.

I loved Miri, I found myself able to connect with her character. I loved that she had a dream but was scared to believe in herself enough to help her get to the point where she would glow. It's hard to be a strong female in a male dominated world and this author writes it and makes it fun to show people that women are just as awesome as men… maybe a little more awesome. I loved that even though Miri would be stressed and having a hard time she wouldn’t take it out on people but would lean on her friend or talk it out with Rafael. I loved that she was a little bit of a space cadet, and I loved how she would talk to herself out loud. I found myself laughing at a couple of moments when she would be talking out loud and Rafeal would walk up and scare her. I found Rafeal to be a fun MMC, he would know the right thing to say to get Miri to get out of her head, he was looking out for her (even when he was attempting to sabotage the mission. I liked that he fell first, and I didn’t mind the whole figuring out if it was love or really, really like this woman; moments not to be annoying. For me it helped me to understand why he was falling so fast and helped to wrap up the book really well. I enjoyed the banter that the characters had, and I found myself laughing out loud at a few parts. I think my favorite would have to be hands down the moment in the jungle with the vines and trying to do a cool swinging flip off it. I found how the book ended with a big reveal to have been well, and with those little twists at the end. You can see how that would shake Rafeal more than Miri but still it does affect her.

This book has action, family drama, romcom moments, some spicy scenes and an overall, fun book to read.

I want to thank NetGalley & Berkley Pub for the opportunity to review this book.

Temple of Swoon is a fabulous, fun adventure rom-com that I could not put down.

I was a bit nervous starting this book because I didn't necessarily love the previous book the author had written. It was a little boring and lacked that fun adventure component I hoped it would have. I am thrilled to say that this book is a woot and a half and was everything I wanted the first book to be. I adored the story and its characters. This book really is bursting with fun, quirky adventure vibes. The author leaned hard into that adventure rom-com element, and I am so glad that she did. Miri is the best and is what made this book shine in my eyes. She is a quirky, nerdy goofball of a character, and her enthusiasm is just contagious. I instantly fell in love with her the moment she appeared on the page with her backpack full of snacks. Between Rafa sabotaging the search, an enemy team trying to get to the lost city first, and just the prevails and trails of exploring the jungle, Miri's journey is not a smooth or boring one.

The story is perfectly paced, and I loved that it was bursting with fun and chaotic shenanigans that just had me chuckling. Miri is just one of those characters that chaos seems to follow. She wants to prove that she is just as badass and smart as Corrie (the MC from the first book). Miri's character is full of a lot of self-doubt and doesn't believe that if she were to be her true self, she would be able to become a recognized archaeologist. It was great watching Miri's character realize that she doesn't have to pretend to be someone else to be happy or successful. Rafa was the perfect match for Miri's character. It was pretty obvious that he was absolutely smitten right from the first meet-cute. Miri's corny sense of humour and her tendency to babble just have his heart pitter-pattering a little faster. Rafa cannot believe that Miri doesn't see how fabulous, badass, and amazing she is. I enjoyed Rafa's character, who struggles and suffers quite a bit in this book, which I just loved. He's been tasked with trying to get Miri to quit her search for the lost city, but he likes Miri and wants her to succeed. He finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I thoroughly enjoyed that inner struggle Rafa found himself in.

The romance is this wonderful blend of sweet and spicy. These two are meant for each other. Both characters are smitten with each other right from the moment they meet. That instant attraction is both physical and emotional. Rafa definitely falls harder in this book, and that is because he just loves Miri's quirkiness. He is like a moth drawn to the light; he can't stay away from her. Overall, I really enjoyed these two as a couple. Everything in their relationship journey was well balanced out. You have the spicy bits, the fun laugh-out-loud bits, and the emotional quieter bits. All these different bits worked together to create a relationship that felt real and possessed some depth.

Temple of Swoon is a lough-out-loud adventure rom-com, and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a pick-me-up romance.

Thank you so much to @berkleyromance @berkleypub @acebookspub @netgalley and @josegurabooks for a copy of this book.

Dr. Miriam Jacobs (Miri) is on a mission deep in the Amazon to find the Lost City of the Moon. No pressure, but her career as an archeologist depends on this mission being a success. Nothing can stand in her way….except maybe for Rafael Monfils (Rafa). Rafa has been sent to the Amazon on a different mission, to uphold his mother’s legacy as protector of the temple and stop anyone from finding it. This includes sabotaging Miri’s work at every turn. What he didn’t count on was her fiery personality and her persistence…and how well they seemed to understand each other. When they realize they aren’t the only ones looking for the temple, their lives depend on getting there first.

I thought it was absolutely adorable and really enjoyed reading it! Miri’s personality of being dorky and awkward but fierce and determined was the perfect match for Rafa’s cool, world-traveler vibes. Overall I definitely recommend this book!

Temple of Swoon follows Miri on a trek to find The City of the Moon. Many have tried, all have failed, but failure isn't an option for Miri; if she comes back with nothing she also loses her job. Things go awry immediately when she meets handsome journalist, Rafa and sparks fly. She needs to avoid distraction, but Rafa isn't just there for a story. He's there to sabotage the whole mission.

Temple of Swoon was a really fun read. Miri was quirky and relatable. I really felt for Rafa. I loved that there were twists I didn't see coming and I can't wait to read more works from Jo Segura.

Thank you Netgalley, Jo Segura, and Penguin Random House!