Book Review: Temple of Swoon

I haven’t been doing my normal book reviews for lots of reasons, mostly though because I have been writing and now editing. Seriously, getting that first draft done was not what I would call easy but editing is a whole different beast. That being said, this book I won through Goodreads and I got it early! This book is not officially out until January 7th, 2025 and I am excited to get the chance to read it and review it early.

One of the fun things about the romance genre is that there are a whole bunch of standalone series out there. Meaning that you can read them independently but they are interconnected through basic plot points but mostly through characters. A minor character in the first book might be the main character in the second book. This series is one of those. The first book is Raiders of the Lost Heart. Yes, this series is defiantly channeling some Indiana Jones vibes and I’m all here for it. The first book was a lot of fun to read, check out my review below for my thoughts on Temple of Swoon.

Synopsis

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 Dr. Mejía 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 a 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 purposeful wrong turns and tricks only seem to fuel Miri’s 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 Moon City, and soon, the untamed jungle—and their untamed hearts—might be the least of their worries…

Book Review

I will say up front that this is an easy read but it is also a fun read with all the shenanigans that one would expect in an archeological themed romance – vine swinging and fights with the bad guys included. One thing that I do love about both the female main characters written by this author (in this book and the first) is that they are early to mid 30’s women. These aren’t college students, they are women who know what they want and they have doctoral degrees.

Yes, this is a spicy romance book. I’m going to give it a level 2 spice rating (if you want to know the spice levels, I like this one). That being said, the spicy scenes are in the second half of the book and they fit within the plot of the story as a whole. The spice does not over power the plot and they aren’t over the top.

All-in-all this is a cute romance with a badass woman, Miri, really works to accept who she is and her own abilities. Her romantic counter part, Rafa, works to forge his own path rather than one that was created for him by others. Disillusionment is a terrible and yet great thing for him. These books are also good about reminding the reader that the study of archeology is about the people who create the artifacts, their histories and stories, not just the worth of the artifacts themselves. It is only a small element but an important one.

I suggest this book for those that enjoy a good happily ever after romance read, those who like a little danger and dirt in their romance, and those who just want a fun and mildly spicy read. This book was a ton of fun to read and I want to thank Berkley Romance for sending me this advanced reader copy! Happy reading.

*This is not a paid review.*

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