If you are looking for a cute romance read, then this book is the one to read. I had a cute time reading it. It’s lighthearted and fast-paced that you wouldn’t know you finished it already. Plus, the nonstop banter makes the romance so much better. I enjoy the characters banter with each other. It makes the chemistry and the romance more enjoyable.

This book was a hilarious and bingeable good time. I love how quirky Miri is, and how Rafa embraces and loves all of them. Miri’s personality jumped off the page and had me laughing out loud more than once.

Also, Rafa’s nickname for her, Pringles, is perfection and I smiled or laughed nearly every time it appeared on page.

Temple of Swoon has a little bit of everything: action, adventure, and sizzling chemistry between Miri and Rafa. There aren’t many “spicy” scenes but chemistry between them was enough to make me keep turning the page.

I did not read Raiders of the Lost Heart before reading Temple of Swoon, but you best believe I’m running to read it now. I had so much fun with this book! Temple of Swoon worked well as a stand alone, but I’m sure the connections to the previous characters would be more fun if you had read Raiders of the Lost Heart first.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for providing me this advanced copy. Trust that I’ll be raving about it for months to come.

4.5 - Thank you to Berkley Romance for the advance ebook!

This book will be out January 7th.

"I think someone's jealous"
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because I'd be jealous if someone else was kissing you, too."

Raiders of the Lost Heart was Jo Segura's debut that came out last December and I really enjoyed that one! So I was excited to learn that we were going to be getting a new one in this same universe. This is a stand alone book but there are characters mentioned from the first book but I think Segura did a well enough job explaining the characters and their dynamics should you want to jump right into this one. But one thing that is in common between the two books: strong female characters in a male dominated world.

Now my memory of the MMC in Raiders is very foggy so I am hoping I am correct in saying that Rafael/Rafa was way more swoonier than Ford. The chemistry between him and Miri was strong from the very beginning. Their banter was so good but especially good when they first met. Their paths end up crossing when they ended up working on the same expedition.


"I haven't done anything remarkable. I'm about as boring as they come."
"Pringles, you're anything but boring."

My heart went out to Miri because all she wanted was to be taken seriously. She wanted to prove to everyone especially to her mentor Corrie (from the first book) that she could handle being the team lead. She had so much riding on this expedition and no one knew but her that her job was at risk if it did not succeed.

Rafael on the other hand was feeling the familial pressure from his father to make sure Miri did not succeed in the expedition. And boy do they have some set backs! Rafa's mother is from the area where they are exploring and he is hoping to be able to connect with those who might have knew her. He is hoping this is his last big mission with his employer as he wants to pursue writing novels full time. There's a pretty big reveal that happens that shakes both Miri and Rafa to the core but more so Rafa.

This book has action, family drama, spicy scenes and just such a good time!

PS - Once again this cover art is GORGEOUS!!!!

The Temple of Swoon is such a fun story, and I think I liked this one even more than the first book, Raiders of the Lost Heart. It’s a fantastic romantic adventure with a very fitting title! Speaking of titles, I have to mention how much I love them and their Indiana Jones references. I feel like this whole series is the perfect mix of Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone, and I couldn’t get enough of it!

The two main characters, Miri and Rafa are both compelling and layered with interesting stories. Miri works in a male-dominated environment and works hard to prove her worth, and Rafa is a journalist with a secret mission that could thwart Mimi’s chance at making a name for herself in the field of archeology. However, he spends more time helping Miri than he does ruining her excursion. It was interesting to learn more about them, their professions, and what led them to these points in their lives. I also enjoyed their growth throughout the story. Miri underestimates herself, and Rafa learns a lot about himself, his family, and his ancestry, which is super intriguing.

I adored Rafa, the sweet-talking cinnamon roll! He's super swoon-worthy, and I absolutely loved how hard he fell for Miri. Some of the things he says to her, and a lot of what he thinks about her, melted my heart. I just loved them together and the little ways they supported each other without even realizing it. Rafa puts Miri first before he even acknowledges his conflicted feelings, and their close proximity, co-workers-to-lovers romance is even more heightened because of the high-stakes situations they constantly face.

The story also has action and adventure, a bit of a mystery, and a surprising twist, all of which add suspense and tension to the story. The secondary characters are great, too, and I'm curious to see who will be the focus of the next book. And there are several comical scenes that had me laughing out loud, especially when Miri initially tries to pull a Tarzan stunt. So funny!

I would definitely recommend this book to contemporary romance readers, and though it's the second in a series, it can easily be read as a standalone. However, if you did read Raiders of the Lost Heart, you'll be excited to see a brief cameo from the book. Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley Books for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

This adventure romance set in the Amazon Rainforest pairs a glasses-wearing archaeologist, fighting for her job, with a hot journalist, accompanying the expedition and trying to sabotage its progress at every turn.

Dr. Miriam Jacobs feels out of her depth leading this expedition to find the Lost City of the Moon without her mentor, Dr. Corrie Mejía, by her side, but she’s determined to keep going. She and the team encounter obstacle after obstacle as well as interference from another crew with less than ethical methods and motivations.

Rafael Monfils was sent on the expedition to make it fail, but since their meet-cute outside the airport, he has wanted to see Miri succeed.

I appreciate how Jo Segura writes female leads that are willing to try, try again; focus on using brain power, not just brawn; and truly care about protecting the legacy of the peoples they research.

And I like how gone Rafa is for Miri, and how, with the dual POV, we get insight into how he struggles with the conflict between what he feels to be his mission and how he wants to support Miri and her team.

I received an advance copy of the book from Berkley. Review opinions are my own.

This whole series is super entertaining! If you like romance with a dash of adventure - you'll enjoy this romp through the Amazonian jungle.

**Just so you know what to expect - this is not adventure with a side of romance. This is romance, cheesy, adorable vine-swinging moments and all - with a bit of adventure and high-stakes moments blended throughout.
- Open door romance!

**Thank you to Berkley Romance for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

In my late twenties I went on a rafting/camping trip where I quickly earned the nickname "Poptart" due to my choice of junk food for the voyage. As a result, I feel a certain kinship with Dr. Miriam "Pringles" Jacobs, the badass heroine of this novel. The fact that she also reminds me of my BFF-since-sixth-grade (and fellow rafting trip partner) with her easily-distractable yet hyper-focused creative thinking and a fiercely loyal, compassionate heart makes the novel even more enjoyable.

In the story, Miri arrives in Brazil to find that she has been promoted to co-lead the special archeological search for La Cidade da Lua, famed hidden city in the Amazon. She doesn't feel confident in her abilities to lead, but she channels her mentor, Socorro Mejia (of Raiders of the Lost Heart fame), and steps up to the plate. Thankfully, Corrie sent Miri some helpful clues and a special artifact to assist her.

Along for the ride is Rafael Monfils (French-Canadian/Brazilian journalist hired to document the search, and resident hottie), but he's also a descendent of the protetores da lua and has been charged with doing everything he can to sabotage the expedition and ensure the opposite of success.

Of course, there is instant chemistry between Miri and Rafa, and they struggle to remain strictly professional while keeping their respective secrets, as well as dealing with enemy treasure hunters, low morale among the team, and all the pitfalls of a trek through the Amazon jungle.

I enjoyed the character development of the protagonists throughout the storyline, and the setting was intriguing, though I think the author missed the chance to highlight the agony of all the insect bites they would have endured after weeks in a tropical jungle. Secondary characters were less complex, but still fairly realistic. Of course, the villains were as villainous as possible, ensuring the reader has someone they can love to hate while rooting for our hero & heroine.

I felt like the pacing was fairly good up until about 80%, then suddenly stuff started happening a bit too quickly, and not in that "all the loose threads are being woven together to explain things" kind of way. More of a "gotta wrap this up" kind of way. However, it does wrap up nicely while still leaving a few things open enough for additional titles in the series.

Miri is trying to make her mark as an archeologist and she is given the chance to lead an expedition in the Amazon to find the lost City of the Moon. Rafa is a nature journalist who was sent as part of his family heritage to secretly keep Miri from finding the city. Sparks begin to fly between the two and Rafa questions his mission.

This book was funny and cute. It is the second in a series, but it wasn't necessary to read the first. The book got a bit steamy but it was on the milder side of things. I would read more in this universe.

Temple of Swoon is the second book I've read by Jo Segura and it's unfortunately as disappointing as the first. The quality of the writing isn't poor but the characters are not well drawn. The heroine especially comes across as a bumbling fool. It's one thing to be clumsy and quirky but she is genuinely horrible at her job an makes one poor decision after another. Her behavior is so bizarre that at one point I found myself thinking one of the antagonists was right about his criticism of her. The hero lies to the heroine for the entire book and endangers her life and her career at multiple points. Don't even get me started on how poor the representation of the archaeology field is either. It's frustrating because I want to love these books but they fall flat each time.

I read the first book in the series and thought it was just ok, and I feel similarly about this one. I like the idea and love the setting, but it just fell flat for me. Both characters seem less like real people and more just like various quirks put together.

The second in a series follows Miri, a clumsy archeologist trying to prove herself as she leads a mission to find the lost City of the Moon in the Amazon. All of her attempts are thwarted by Rafa, the sexy journalist trying to protect the city as part of his mother's life's work. Invariably they fall for each other and other hijinks ensue, especially as a bad guy is trying to find the same city to loot it.

There are a lot of references to the first book, so a reader may want to read that one first, but unnecessary. The chemistry between the main characters doesn't have to be great, however, the reader is left confused about how their lust and some limited group interactions led to love that quickly.

While there is a good amount of adventure within the story, the pacing leaves some to be desired. There are frequent lulls where it is easy to put down the book and get distracted.

Overall, a decent romance that some will love.

Thank you to Net Galley and Berkley for the DRC! All opinions are my own!

Temple of Swoon by Jo Segura. This just might be my favorite romance novel of 2024. The romance was SOOO sweet and I adored these two characters. Plus the adventure is so fun!

While very cute, it didn’t quite catch the spark of the first in the series. Lots of jungle vine swinging, almost insta-love/lust, and the same big bad as book one (though the surprise there was fun). That said, I’m still looking forward to more from author Jo Segura. Thanks to Berkley for the ARC.

I feel like the first half of this book dragged on, then everything was crammed into the last 25%. I struggled with the believability of Miri and Rafa’s relationship as it progressed.

This book reminded me of an adult version of Jungle Cruise mixed with the live action movie of Dora the Explorer. It was quirky and fun with plenty of references to Indiana Jones and Lara Croft.

The book follows a photographer who only wants his last assignment to end and an archaeologist who has been waiting for her big break.

If you enjoyed Jo Segura’s first novel or love a good archaeologist rom-com adventure, you will love this book.

Well, this book reads like an adventure novel with romance in the background. Perhaps sorta "Romancing the Stone" without much romance. There was alot, and I mean ALOT of archaeological happenings going on. The book was cute and it kinda kept my attention. Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

I think I love adventure romances! There's something so enchanting about falling in love when it's set against a beautiful background. The Amazon rainforest? Absolutely gorgeous choice.

While we're following another archeological dig, Temple of Swoon feels wholly distinct from Raiders of the Lost Heart despite having a few character cameos. Miriam Jacobs is a goofy goober coming into her own, while Rafael Monfils is doing everything in his power to make sure that Miri doesn't find the mysterious Cidade da Lua. It made for such an interesting dynamic as Rafa wants Miri to succeed and gain confidence, but is torn up by familial duty. They have fabulous chemistry and Pringles is the cutest nickname known to man.

I cannot WAIT for The Lust Crusade and all of the future adventures I'll go on with Jo Segura.

Temple of Swoon is a fun, action-packed romance! Two archaeologists on an expedition through the Amazon fall in love even though they each have a lot at stake on the mission. This book is a fun adventure and I could envision this becoming a movie! It made me want to travel the Amazon.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the advance copy.

hopefully net galley doesn't hate me for this eek but this read like a cheesy action movie. thank you so much for this book, it was a highly anticipated read, I really loved the last book this one just felt like an unneccessary sequel. I'd still love to read more of their stuff, the atmosphere, setting, whole concept is really neat and im always in the mood for an adventure romance however the romance wasn't doing it for me as much this time around.

good things:
the setting
the idea of it: the looking for ancient civilizations in the amazon is such a cool concept it just fell flat for me. I felt that it had a lot of cliches which some people love but because of that I didn't really get into the characters or invested in their love story. a lot of really dramatic puffed out your chest lines that just felt like, yeah, a cheesy action movie. but maybe that's just me.

I am obsessed with Jo Segura's adventure romance novels. There's something so fresh and fun about this genre.

Picking up right where she left off with Raiders of the Lost Heart, Temple of Swoon is an action-packed romp. Dr. Miriam "Miri" Jacobs is finally getting the chance to prove herself as a field archeaologist but not if Rafael (Rafa) has his way. Posing as a journalist to follow Miri's mission, Rafa is actually there to thwart the team's attempts to find the Lost City of the Moon.

I think Segura improved on some things in Temple of Swoon. The action felt more propulsive and the pacing a stitch better. The chemistry between Rafa and Miri was off the charts and I eagerly read this in the span of a day.

Highly recommend for fans of contemporary romance who enjoy a little something extra in their storylines.