2.5 Stars

"What would happen if Lara Croft and Indiana Jones were academic rivals?"
I was immediately sold on this idea! I've always loved adventure films and I've found a new love for contemporary romance, so the opportunity to enjoy both in one book was tempting.
There were so many things about this book that I normally love:
💪 Badass FMC
⚔️ Enemies/Rivals to Lovers
💕 Forced Proximity
⛰️ High stakes adventure (but not so high as to be anxiety inducing)

So, one would think that I would LOVE this book, heck I thought I would too. But something about it just fell flat. I didn't mind Corrie's character, I felt she was a good adaption of a RomCom version of Lara Croft.
But Ford... Oh Ford. I did not like him, and I think it's important for readers to like the MMC in a romance book. I'm all here for unlikeable, morally grey, selfish MMCs if it's done right, but the way Ford was portrayed just felt too real? Too much like a real selfish man with toxic masculinity (that I will admit he was addressing in the story). So I think that kind of brought the whole vibe down for me. I just couldn't understand why a badass like Corrie was so head-over-heels over this mediocre dude. I guess, overall, I felt there was no real chemistry between the characters other than wanting to tear each other's clothes off.

Outside of the romance, I loved the adventure and the plot of finding Chimalli, how important it was for both characters but for drastically different reasons. The remote jungle setting, the mystery, the excitement of finding clues and unlocking secrets lost to time! If more attention was focused on these aspects of the story I think I may have enjoyed it more. It felt like the romance plot drove the adventure, and it would have felt more natural and sweeping if the adventure drove the romance.

To wrap up: I think this is a unique contemporary romance that lots of people will enjoy as a fun and quick read.

I so badly wanted to love this book. The topic, the cover, Latina representation, enemies to lovers...it seemed like my ideal read. Maybe it was because my expectations were so high going in but unfortunately this book fell short of what I was hoping for. I think the author tried to do too many things with the story, the characters, the history and so nothing felt really formed but a lot of half complete ideas. The most action packed part of the book occurs at 90% which is a long time to hold out. I was hoping for more action and Mummy/Romancing the Stone hijinks and less of Ford's semi-insufferable POV and way less descriptions of Corrie's body and how it filled out a tank top. I think there is definitely an audience for this book unfortunately it's just not me.

Thanks to Berkley & Netgalley for the ARC.

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance, Negalley, and PRH Audio for the advanced copies of this book. All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

I was so excited for this archeology, adventure romance. Unfortunately this book just didn't live up to the premise or my expectations.

This book actually made my most disappointing of the year list... This had all the making of a book i should love - rivals to lovers, forced proximity, science. But it just didn't deliver in any aspect.

It felt like the book didn't commit to what it wanted to be. It didn't lean into the action adventure, or the enemies, or the humor, or the romance. Instead it tried to do all of them and didn't them all mediocrely...

If you're looking for a quick, easy romance to quell an archeology adventure urge, this wouldn't be a terrible one to pick up. I think it's a book that pretty much everyone will enjoy. It's just not one I think anyone will LOVE.

I don't understand why the woman was so into such a skeezy, thieving man. This missed the mark and I do not recommend it.

Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura is an enemies to lovers rom/com set in the jungle on a treasure hunt where our main characters are archeologists. Think Indiana Jones (referenced a few times in the book) meets National Treasure equals the perfect combination of romance and adventure. I loved the rivalry between Corrie and Ford. Overall, I loved this book and wish we had more like this out there. I highly recommend and will look for more from this author in the future!

What a fun adventure. I loved the humor, banter and excitement with this one. Thanks to the publisher for the early ARC.

Adventure, romance, humor and intrigue all play an equal part in crafting this fast paced archaeological mystery contemporary romance! Jo Segura's writing is fun and clear, creating the perfect landscape for this adventure to bloom. Segura's tone balances the intrigue and romance beautifully, building them both alongside the other. Her characters are real and relatable, her pacing is fast and full of tension (both sexually and mystery-wise). If you are a lover of an archaeological mystery, that is jam packed full of discoveries, than this novel is sure to give you what you are looking for.

Raiders of the Lost Heart is a second chance romance between Corrie and Ford. These two might have started off on the wrong foot, but both have been circling each other for years and now that they are forced to work together and rely on each other, their chemistry and tension will know no bounds! This novel is not just the discovery of long lost remains, but it is also the discovery of mistaken interactions, learning to work together, and opening up their hearts to trust and understanding. Segura uses physical interactions to show how these two open their hearts to the other, and learn to trust and work together. I really enjoyed the tension and build that leads to the explosion of feelings, and how once these two embrace the other, they are both all in. I love that they both want to protect the other, and always have each other's best interests at heart.

This novel balances plot and character development beautifully to craft a delightful adventure romance worthy of any movie screen! I was easy drawn in and swept away on this wild ride and Jo Segura has definitely proven to me that she is an author worth keeping an eye out on! I would definitely recommend this to any contemporary romance lover in the mood for something slightly more cinematic and fast paced!

I was hoping for an exciting Romancing the Stone adventure but Raiders spent more time delving into the relationship between Corrie and Ford.

Dr. Corrie Mejia has been fighting an uphill battle her whole career as a women in archaeology. It has only gotten worse after rumors of her adventures, which include outrunning a jaguar (not exactly true) or seducing a stolen artifact out of the hands of local drug lord (mostly true) and that one magazine article in Archeology Digest, which should have been a boone to her career but all anyone walks about are her too short shorts or her clingy tank top and not the amazing find. This is glaringly obvious since Ford Harrison was hired to find Chimalli, the Aztec warrior that Corrie completed her dissertation on, one she was rumored to be a descendant of.

Dr. Ford Harrison admits, at least to himself, that he stole this dig out from under Corrie, but just like the tenure at Yale, it wasn’t too hard for Ford to convince his boss that he was the best man for the job. Actually, until recently Ford has always been able to convince people to give him what he wants and while it was a lousy thing to do to Corrie, he needed the money that was promised if he find that missing ceremonial dagger for his mom’s cancer treatments.

But both Corrie and Ford admit that they were better students because of the competition presented by each other in their department. If only that one late night in the library had culminated in the kiss that they both wanted, their lives and careers might have been different.

The fact that he needed to bring Corrie in to consult proves how wrong he was to steal the dig from her, but he can’t tell her now that the investor originally wanted Corrie to run this dig. If she ever found out, she would never forgive him. It cuts deep that after three months of work in the sweaty jungle, Corrie walks into camp and knows immediately that they were digging in the wrong place.

But once they narrow down the actual resting place of Chimalli, it is their lives at risk since there is a spy in camp who is determined to get to steal the artifact for themselves. If that happens, not only will Ford lose Corrie, he will lose the bonus he needs to save his mom. But winning the race to the artifact may cost the safety of his entire crew.

THOUGHTS:
I was unhappy with Raiders of the Lost Heart as the blurb for this story gave me real Raider of the Lost Ark/Romancing the Stone vibes and I was looking for an exciting running through the jungle, trying to outsmart the bad guys adventure. At the very least, it should have had more archeology discussion including proper techniques. It was as much dumb luck as Corrie’s research that got them their find.

If just weighing this as a second-chance, forced proximity romance, it was fine. My only complaint on that front would be that both Corrie and Ford focused on “that night in the library,” but even after all the talk about it, we never had a flashback as to why this time in the library was so special.

This appears to be the first novel by Jo Segura and while Raiders wasn’t a bad story, there was nothing about it that made it especially memorable either.

3.5 ⭐️

As a Latina I was really excited to read this book. While I did enjoy the majority of this story, I have some issues.

Let’s start with our “hero” Ford. Not only was he boring but he was awful. Talk about white male privilege. Everything he did to her was unforgivable. I did not like him.

As for Corrie, I enjoyed her character for the most part. There were some little things that bothered me about her character. I felt like her sexuality was pushed so much. And honestly this stereotype of latinas being “spicy” and all about sex is getting old. For instance Corrie hated being seen for just her body instead of her accomplishments. Yet had no issue waving around her vibrator to her boss. Maybe I’m just reading too much into it but as a Latina I can’t help it.

If I look away from the disaster that was the MCs, then I would say this book was enjoyable. It was a quick read and the setting made it extra fun.

I think if you’re looking for something with action and some romance then you’ll enjoy this.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and had such an amazing time reading it. I loved the adventure, humor, banter, and excitement. Serious topics were also addressed in a way that was moving, but also light. I definitely want more books like this one!

Ya'll...my NetGalley backlist is overwhelming, but I have no idea why I didn't post about this book on its pub when I actually read it on time?? Oh well. Here we are.

I loved this book! Corrie is such a badass and I want to be her when I grow up. I love her determination to be respected and recognized for her mind and talent in the archaeological world, rather than just for her looks. And Ford? Well, for one, he has the perfect archaeologist name in my opinion. He smolders and smirks and I swoon. Their chemistry is sooooo good and I would absolutely read another book about them having archaeological and spicy adventures together. 🔥 The end had me racing through the pages because I had to know what happened. Plus, the setting and descriptions are so fun!

If you love The Mummy, Tomb Raider, Indiana Jones, and Romancing the Stone...read this. This is such a fun read and I want more! I hope this trend in adventure archaeological romances continues because they're all I want to read. 🥰

⭐️⭐️.5

𝙍𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙚𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙪𝙥 𝙤𝙣 𝙖 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝘼𝙯𝙩𝙚𝙘 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙨—𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨—𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙨.

📍 Read if you like:
• Mexican Jungles
• Archaeology
• Enemies To Lovers (ish)
• Indiana Jones

I struggled so much with this book, I really wanted to enjoy it as the premise sounded so interesting. The cover is also stunning! Unfortunately, I didn’t love this one.

I was expecting this to have more of an Indiana Jones vibe to it, but Ford’s character was so uninteresting and the rivalry between the characters was so over the top. I read this mostly via audio, and I think the story would’ve resonated more if there were two narrators.

I did love that this book focused on a Mexican jungle, I thought that part was extremely interesting. I feel like the story started out strong, but as it progressed, I got even more frustrated with the characters and the way they reacted. It also felt like it dragged!

I really wanted to enjoy this one, it sounded so interesting. It is a debut novel, but I do plan on checking this author’s future works. I would’ve loved a bit more of the adventure side as the romance didn’t intrigue me as much. I loved the setting, and while it wasn’t for me, I’m sure others will enjoy this more than I did.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the review copy and PRH Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

•𝗧𝗪/𝗖𝗪: Sexual Content, Cancer, Sexism, Death Of Parent, Terminal Illness, Body Shaming

Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura is an exhilarating romance novel that combines adventure elements with contemporary romance. This story is able to portray the themes of female pleasure positivity and empowerment within a male-dominated world where slut-shaming can unfortunately sink its nasty claws into a woman’s reputation. Our protagonist, Corrie, explores uncharted territories in the hopes of unearthing truths about the world’s mysterious past while simultaneously championing the celebration of female desire and agency, and breaking societal norms with her steadfast confidence. The relationships Corrie has with her friends, colleagues, and love interest are equally as admirable. These relationships provide camaraderie through banter, and the uniqueness of each character leaves you hoping that the author will write spin-off stories for each lovable character mentioned throughout this first book.

Thank you for thr arc! Unfortunately, I really did not enjoy this book. I think the plot was really weak and so were the characters and as a Mexican woman myself, I found it kind of insulting, and really not well researched or done.

When I first heard about Raiders of the Lost Heart, I was seeing comparisons to Lara Croft and Indiana Jones so as a fan of both this sounded like it would be so much fun. I mean, an adventure romance? Sign me up!
Unfortunately, there isn’t much adventure or action until we near the end but I really enjoyed the setting of the Mexican jungle and following along with the search for the remains of Chimalli - an ancient warrior of the Aztec empire.

What prevented me from loving this was the romance. Corrie and Ford’s bickering in the beginning was entertaining but it quickly got old. I love a good enemies-to-lovers but with the way these two behave it was hard to root for them as a couple. Not only does Ford undermine her career but after he brings her on to assist with the dig he constantly talks down to her despite knowing the job should have been hers in the first place. It was infuriating. And Corrie wasn’t much better. She lets her attraction to him cloud her judgement and never truly stands up for herself. She also forgave him way too easily after finding out what he’s been keeping from her.

Despite the ending feeling rushed, I really liked it and loved seeing Corrie finally start to get the recognition she deserves. There also seems to be setup for another adventure so I would definitely be interested if there is more to come in the future!

Jo is a local Seattle author so I was super pumped for the release of this book!

I LOVE my romances with sexy, strong, smart FMCs! And witty banter, humor, and dual POV of course. All of which, this book had. The characters were likable but also flawed and I couldn’t help but root for them to get together which they did… pretty early in the book. I wish there was a little more angsty pining and waiting involved. It was definitely more sexually graphic than I anticipated especially with the cutesy cover 🥵 The plot and setting of this book were incredibly creative, although I would have liked way more adventure!! I feel like all of the non-romance part of the plot happened really quickly, close to the end.

Thank you to Jo, Berkley & NetGalley for the e-galley!

Raiders of the Lost Heart, Jo Segura's debut, is as Jen Comfort says, "The Lost City of D, with the D." Alternately, Lara Croft and Indiana Jones bang it out in the jungle. This is a steamy (in two ways) rivals to lovers romance with two former-classmates turned archaeology profs on a dig in Mexico. There's some sketch stuff with the archaeology, mostly due to Ford being a bit awful, but I was so gone for Corrie that I ended up enjoying the book. Find me when you're done with Weaksauce Matthews, Corrie.
Pick this up if you want forced proximity and bad decisions at midnight with the kind of dashing-through-the-jungle-away-from-villains action you loved in The Lost City.

Readers please note that there is slutshaming, nonconsensual sharing of photos and a sick parent. With thanks to @berkleyromance for this copy! My archaeologist partner is currently reading it after I threw it and Rosie Danan's new one, Do Your Worst, at him. ("Grumble grumble dig protocol grumble grumble respecting alternate history telling grumble grumble" *looking up Mexican laws about human remains*)

This fun archaeological adventure combines heart-pounding action with a simmering romance. Dr. Socorro Mejía, driven by a lifelong goal, takes us on a journey deep into the Mexican jungle in search of the ancient Aztec warrior Chimalli. The story unfolds with a perfect blend of mystery and excitement as Corrie finds herself reluctantly partnered with her charismatic nemesis, Dr. Ford Matthews.

This was a page-turner that combines suspenseful intrigue with a sizzling romance. Segura's characters are well-drawn, and the chemistry between the MCs is palpable. If you're seeking an adventure that will keep you guessing and tug at your heartstrings, this novel is a must-read.

This book was an absolute blast! I was totally in the mood for some Romancing the Stone meets Indiana Jones kind of romance, and this one delivered those vibes perfectly. The adventure was on point, and the fact that the hero and heroine were on an archaeological dig searching for an artifact just cranked up the excitement. Corrie, on the hunt for this artifact for like a decade, and Ford, the hero in charge of the dig – talk about a juicy setup.

Their history added a fantastic dynamic, and when Corrie realizes Ford's leading the dig, cue the tension! The push and pull between them was electric. Although, gotta say, Corrie got a bit too upfront and crass about sex at times. Like, innocent comment, and she's all about getting busy with Ford. Maybe a bit toned down would've been good, but hey, the undeniable attraction kept things spicy.

My only gripe? The side characters, villains, and the whole red-herring situation could've used more fleshing out. And yeah, the author's commentary on some stuff could've hit harder. But seriously, the setting was killer, and the whole story was just plain fun! 🏹🗺️💑

This was a dream. Lara Croft meets Indiana Jones but make it all better. I loved this book so much, full of interesting topics, a sexy and hooking love story and great characters. I feel in love with Jo’s writing and can’t wait to get more from her!!