Such a fun rom com!! Albeit the story did take a while to get rolling, but once it did, I couldn’t put it down! Rafa and Miri were adorable, even though I hate the lying trope… lol. At the end though, the plot twist totally made up for it. I’m excited to see where Jo Segura goes next with her books🫶🏼


A big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review😊😊

Thank you Berkely for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!

WOW.

I truly was going into this with an open mind, but as the book continued that idea changed. This book takes a "quirky" attempt at an archeological adventure and it didn't work.

The characters and material within itself fell flat. How the content in the book seemed repetitive and yet overwhelming at once is quite surprising.

I also want to share that I disagree with the premise of the way that the relationship was written, having the MMC be responsible for the sabotaging the mission without communicating with the FMC his intentions and his actions wasn't hot but a red flag. Don't get me wrong, I truly disliked the fmc but damn was that a major ick.

This is the second time in which this author has written a MMC that purposely sabotages the FMC career and I simply cannot stand behind this idea. Like why is it that men have to sabotage women's careers and these women forgive them and fall in love with them?

The relationship dynamic and building between the main characters as romantic partners was truly terrible and a poor attempt in quirky. It's so strange and I cannot find myself finding reason as to why their relationship was worth reading about.

I couldn’t wait to see if anyone would really swing on vines – and yes, they do! This romance takes place on an expedition through the Amazon in search of the Lost City of the Moon. I like Indiana Jones movies so I was excited to check this one out. While it was a little cheesy and frustrating at times, overall, it is a fun adventure.

Our love interests, Miriam (Miri) an archaeologist and Rafael (Rafa) a photojournalist, first meet when they both miss the last bus to Manacapuru, Brazil where they need to go for a kick off meeting for an expedition they're both going on. Miri shares her snacks (she loves snacks!) with handsome Rafa and he, in turn, shares his taxi with her. Once they get to their meeting, they find out that Dr. Socorro Mejía, Mira’s mentor (who is the world-famous archaeologist from Raiders of the Lost Heart), won’t be able to make the trip. She assigns Miri and Dr. Bradley Quinn to co-lead the group.

Though Miri realizes this as an opportunity of a lifetime, she is very insecure and full of self-doubt about whether she can do this. I confess I found this a little off-putting and thus it took me a bit to warm up to her.

Rafa is a photojournalist for Global Geography magazine who assigned him to document the search and discovery of the Lost City. This is to be his last mission. He’s been all over the world and now he wants to settle down and write novels. His mother died when he was a baby and this part of Brazil was her homeland so he’s hoping to learn more about her heritage. He doesn’t have much to go by, only her first name, Andressa. There are stories he’s heard about the Lost City and how it glistens under moonlight. It is supposed to be full of riches - precious metals. But Rafa has an ulterior motive! His father wants him to protect the Lost City which he says is Rafa’s mother’s legacy and that he should do whatever he needs to do to stop the expedition from finding it. But things aren’t always what they seem. (This is also true for Bradley Quinn!)

As the group heads out, they encounter one problem after another. They are even attacked by a ruthless group and held at knife point by men who worked for Pierre Vautour, the enemy from Raiders of the Lost Heart. Amidst the danger, Mira and Rafa are attracted to each other but while Mira thinks Rafa is funny, kind and brave, she wants to keep things professional between them-- she doesn’t want any distractions.

It was frustrating to watch Rafa sabotage the group’s work and I felt some of Mira’s actions were risky and reckless, especially when she and Rafa go off to search on their own. But I enjoyed the adventure and romance as things started to heat up in the second half. Rafa has never seen anyone as fascinating or beautiful as Mira and when Mira poses for photos in front of rocks in the jungle, it starts out cheesy but ends up getting spicy.

While it’s got some cheesy moments, Temple of Swoon has enough action, adventure and romance in the Amazon jungle to carry it through.

The much-awaited sequel to Raiders of the Lost Heart, Temple of Swoon does not disappoint! It features archaeologist Dr. Miri Jacobs, who’s tasked with finding a lost Amazonian city. She’s young and hasn’t led an expedition like this before, but she knows she’s up to the task. But not everyone else shares her confidence.

Rafa Monfils, a journalist, joins the crew. Officially, he’s simply there to observe the expedition and write an article, but he comes with an ulterior motive—to do whatever it takes to block Miri from finding the lost city.

And of course there’s a brilliant meet-cute and a near-instant attraction, but they decide they absolutely must be professional on this expedition. As if that’s going to happen, but they do keep it up for a while. As Rafa’s roadblocks don’t stop Miri, and as real danger confronts them, here come the twists and turns.

Temple of Swoon was FUN! The romance and attraction was palpable, and the characters had fantastic chemistry. The adventure element was interesting and kept me captivated. Miri’s quirks were so endearing and she was the most lovable FMC. Rafa was uber sexy too, and I love how dazzled he was by Miri. Ok, there were a few small parts that dragged a little bit and a couple moments where I wondered how people with Ph.Ds didn’t think of some things, but all in all, what a fun, fun book that I loved from the start.

WWCMD? My new mantra!

WOW! Just WOW! I love Jo Segura and her writing for what it is: fun, lighthearted, humorous, and yet somehow relatable. I have a degree in Anthropology, Medical and Biological archeology to be exact, and despite this author not having a FORMAL degree in such... she knocked THAT aspect out of the park. Like, truly did a wonderful job of describing what it's like on a job! The tension and banter between Rafa and Miri were top notch and had me both wanting them to extend their 'courting' of sorts and have them get together asap! My only grievance is that PERSONALLY, I found the purpose and backstory of our MMC to be a little hard to accept and understand, purposely trying to throw our FMC off the trail and stoping her from achieving her goals? I could never push past that! It was just a little hard to accept and move forward with the story and relationship once learning what his intent was, but it was brought together and concluded in a beautiful way. Besides that, no other complaints and I simply cannot wait to see what Ms. Segura does next!

- Quirky Awkward Archaeologist FMC
- Journalist MMC
- Forced Proximity
- Secret Mission in the Amazon
- Workplace romance

I wasn’t aware of this before requesting an ARC, but there is another book that technically comes before this one, Raiders of the Lost Heart. While it is not necessary to read the first book to understand this one I personally wish I would have realized that sooner and read them in order to fully appreciate the story.

Overall I thought this was cute. I actually liked the dynamic between Miri and Rafa, even the instalove. Miri frustrated me with her questionable and rash decision making and there was a lot of far fetched scenarios, but I still though this was a fun adventure. I wish we would have gotten more with the epilogue though as I was left with some unanswered questions.

Lackluster, fell flat, I didn’t buy into the romance between the two characters. The second book didn’t continue Raiders of the Lost Heart’s fun, fast-paced action.

Miri and Rafa have been together in the Amazon for almost over a month, spending hours every day together, and somehow they don’t seem any closer at the end of the book than they do at the beginning. I didn’t even care about the steamy scenes and I never skip past those. Overall 2 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC. I fell in love with the characters. You do not need to have read her previous book to enjoy this one but it helps because they reference the two main characters the most.

Okay, so I really loved book 1, but am conflicted with this one. The action / adventure wasn’t as exciting. FMC Miri was underestimated all the time, and she was looking for her chance to shine and prove herself, however, it bothered me that given the chance, she kept doubting herself all the time and kept comparing herself to Cori. Miri and Rafa’s relationship felt super insta-love (really, it had been 24 hrs) and I really didn’t connect with them. Then, it ended up being a slow burn. It was cute that he called her Pringles, except for the intimate scenes. Nope.

I really love the concept of these books, comparing it to what a movie franchise in the same world is, or would be. So I understand the repeat archeology concept and the same villain. It did entertain me a times, but often more felt flat for me.

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.

i was super excited for this one as i really enjoyed my time listening to raiders of the lost heart however this one fell super flat for me. i felt like for the most part too much was going on while simultaneously feeling like nothing was actually happening?

i love the concept of these books, i feel like their really unique to the romance market right now but the execution of this one was too lackluster for my liking 😭

I loved book 1 but this one was just ok for me. I love the archaeology and adventure but there was just way too much going on to keep straight and I didn’t feel the connection for the romance.

Jo Segura's sophomore novel is another fantastic, dual POV, steamy action adventure romance set in the Amazon jungle featuring Dr. Mejía's protege, Dr. Miriam Jacobs, a young archaeologist out to prove herself as she's tasked with co-leading an expedition in search of the Lost City of the Moon.

Unbeknownst to Miriam though, Rafael, the cute man she bumped into at the airport is also part of the team and is secretly trying to sabotage their efforts in order to keep the City hidden from the rest of the world. Sent by his father, Rafael finds himself falling for Miriam and struggles with wanting to help her and wanting to please his father.

This was fast-paced, with lots of great banter, quirky MCs who have amazing chemistry, another strong kick-ass female protagonist working in a male dominated field and excellent on audio narrated by Kyla Garcia who does a good job voicing the full cast of characters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review! While this has brief cameos of Corrie and Ford from Raiders of the Lost Heart, it can definitely be read as a standalone.

This book was just as cheesy as the first one.
It was a bit predictable. It just seemed to follow the previous book but with different characters.
If you’re looking for some light reading with some heat thrown in, this book is for you.

DNF @ 50%
I'm so sorry I didn't like it 😭 it's supposed to be a rom-com, a silly little romance ( or so I thought), but there is so much action happening, AND it's ista love lust. Like who does that ?? All he thinks about is her sapphire eye *shuddering* they are on a mission to the Amazon to explore the last ancient civilization that mysteriously disappeared. It's her first time leading the team. He is a photographer who is assigned to archive what they discover, but he's secretly plotting to never let them find what they're looking for, so do you wanna know what he did? He endangered all his team's lives yep that's right he is so responsible

Pre-read

I got approved for this eARC 👉🏻👈🏻 thank you Netgalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3/5 ⭐️

This book had a lot of potential, but I fear it left me a little bit bored for at least the first 50% of it. I grew up watching a lot of Indiana Jones and other action movies like that, so maybe I was just expecting it to have action from the start? It did get really good towards the end and I really wanted to rate this higher, but then the MMC’s article was included and it was just…awful. Apologies, but this is a bit spoiler-y.

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Okay, let me just say, the MMC is awful. The FMC has awful imposter syndrome and talks constantly about how the MMC is an award winning journalist, so the fact that one of his articles is included and it’s TERRIBLE makes me even angrier about the fact that he was 100% the villain in this story. I know, I know he wasn’t the big bad or whatever…but he was the driving force for the majority of the day to day conflict. He betrayed her on a consistent basis. I just… Also, I clocked the twist from literally the beginning which is always a bummer when it’s revealed.

Anyway, the idea of this was more enjoyable to me. I would possibly read the first one if it’s reviewed better than this one. The vibes were good. If this had more action or more spice, I think I would have liked it more. Too much wandering around in the jungle while dealing with anxiety for my taste.

The first book, Raiders of the Lost Heart Left me wanting more, I needed to be thrown back into the world of archeology, adventure, and romance. This book gave me everything I wanted, an awkward but lovable leading lady, daring stunts, run-ins with thieves, and of course a flirtatious male lead who will leave you swooning. They had off the charts chemistry and one on one moments that made me sigh. This book is fast paced and never has a dull moment, seriously there were times where I was audibly gasping because I was so shocked by what was happening. My only con is that it was over too soon, or maybe I just read it to fast because I couldn't put it down.

In all this book hasn't even come out yet and I am eagerly waiting for when Ms. Segura announces what our next adventure we will be on.

Temple of Swoon is everything I didn’t know I needed in a book! It’s packed with spunk, sizzling romance, and whip-smart cleverness. Think of it as a modern-day Indiana Jones, but with even more charm and flair. The story truly delivers—it’s adventurous, thrilling, and downright irresistible. The characters leap off the page, the plot twists keep you on your toes, and the chemistry? Absolutely electric.

I didn’t realize how much I craved this trope until I discovered this gem. It’s fresh, fun, and fully immersive. If you’re looking for an unforgettable adventure with heart and humor, Temple of Swoon is a must-read. 10/10, no question!

thank you to netgalley and berkley publishing for the opportunity to read this as an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.75⭐️ a quick little adventure romance read! great for a filler book / something to read in between reading a series, i would say!

this was my first read by jo segura, and i’m happy i finally got around to reading one of her books! i first want to say, this is a third-person written romance book; so if you’re not a fan of third-person narration, i would say maybe this isn’t for you - but, i myself am not a huge fan of third-person (especially for romance books), and i found the read still enjoyable.

the plot was easy to follow and was entertaining enough to keep me reading, but i do think the stakes could have been higher somehow given it is more of an action-romance book. i love the concept of setting out in the amazon to find a long lost and hidden ancient city! the chemistry between the fmc miri and mmc rafa was pretty good, lots of corny jokes and banter with a sprinkle of spice here and there to keep the romance rolling. i loved the dynamic of the archeologist (miri) set to find ‘the lost city of the moon’ and the so-called journalist (rafa) who’s actually there to keep them from finding the lost city.

overall, it kinda gives cheesy hallmark movie sprinkled with a little treasure hunting and action/adventure in the amazon rainforest (lol). happy to have read it!

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overall ratings:
star: 3.75⭐️/5
spice: 1🌶️/5
emotion: 1-1.5💧/5

tropes:
💛 insta-love
💗 workplace romance
💛 adventure-romance
💗 “nerdy” heroine
💛 slow burn
💗 witty banter
💛 hidden identity
💗 no third act breakup

3 lost city stars

This is the second in a series, and I enjoyed book #1, “Raiders of the Lost Heart.” This installment only has a brief cameo from the stars of the first book.

Dr. Miriam Jacobs is assigned to an archaeological team to find the Lost City of the Moon deep in the Amazon. Other teams have searched and failed to find it. There are rumors of protectors of the city who don’t allow anyone to succeed.

However, Miri must have a big find on this trip, or she’s out at her university. Publish or perish!

Also on the trip is Rafael, a photojournalist with a secret plan to sabotage the team from the start. He and Miri have a hilarious meet-cute at the airport when they both miss the bus to the base camp. She also gets an adorable nickname, Pringles.

There are lots of failed attempts to find anything, nefarious villains, and some interesting vine swinging by Miri and Rafael!

This one did not hold my interest as much as the first although I did enjoy the quest to find the lost city.

"Her mission: find the Lost City of the Moon in the Amazon rainforest.

His mission: protect the holy temple...and his heart.

While her mentor may be the world's most badass archaeologist, the only thing bad about Dr. Miriam Jacobs are her corny jokes. But when Miri is charged with leading an unmapped expedition through the Amazon for the fabled Lost City of the Moon, she finally has her chance to prove to her colleagues that she's capable - and hopefully prove it to herself, too.

Journalist Rafael Monfils has joined the archaeological team to chronicle their search for the lost city. Or at least, that's what they think he's doing. Rafa's real goal? Make sure the team does not reach the Cidade da Lua, stopping the desecration of the holy city and protecting his mother's legacy. All he needs to do is keep them on the wrong path.

If only the endearingly quirky Dr. Jacobs wasn't so damn tenacious - each of Rafa's tricks and purposeful wrong turns only seem to fuel her determination. Even worse, he's charmed by her goofy attempts to channel Lara Croft as they traverse the dangerous Brazilian rainforest. But they're not the only crew hunting for the lost city, and soon the untamed jungle - and their untamed hearts - might be the least of their worries..."

I mean, the title and the cover alone make this must buy! Indiana Jones meets Romancing the Stone!