finding your way to love

Dr. Miriam Jacobs agreed to join her mentor on a journey into the Amazon rainforest to find the Lost City of the Moon, but then her mentor has to bow out, so now Miri is leading the expedition. She’s been on digs before, but this is her first time taking the reins. After years of being ignored, Miri is ready to take on the Amazon and find its secrets.

Journalist Rafael Monfils is part of the expedition team, to report it for his magazine. But secretly, he’s trying to sabotage the mission. The Lost City of the Moon has stayed hidden in part because there have been protectors keeping explorers away for generations. His mother was one of the protectors, and Rafa wants to live up to her memory. He can’t let Miri and her team find the city.

Miri knows that finding the Lost City of the Moon won’t be easy. Surviving in the Amazon will be difficult enough. Between the rains, the snakes, the spiders, and the lack of communication with the rest of the world, the expedition is dangerous. But add in the fact that there are those trying to keep them away, and the expedition gets more dangerous. There is a notorious explorer who would love nothing more than to beat them to the Lost City and loot it before Miri and her team can find it and preserve it. Known as the Vulture, he’s the reason Miri’s mentor couldn’t make the trip, and he has all of his resources focused on the Lost City.

But as Miri comes up against challenges, she manages to outthink, outrun, and outmaneuver all of them. The one thing she can’t get around is her growing feelings for Rafa. She is drawn to him from the first moment she met him, even going so far as to sharing her snacks with him. And her snacks are sacred. She’s got the M&Ms. She’s got the Pringles. And she’s got the hots for the reporter.

Rafa finds himself drawn to Miri as well. He wants to protect her from the dangers of the Amazon and the jerks who try to hold her back. But he has to protect the Lost City of the Moon too. It’s his family’s legacy, and he has to respect that. He’s walking a very fine line, with his head on one side and his heart on the other.

But when the Vulture swoops in and puts the team and the expedition in jeopardy, Miri and Rafa have to decide just how far they’ll go to find the Lost City. And how far they’ll go to protect the love growing between them.

Jo Segura’s Temple of Swoon is another adventure-filled rom com that blends archeology, strong women, and spicy love scenes in stories that rival The Jewel of the Nile. There are scenes of danger and scenes of lust, and a lot of intelligent dialogue and sweet-natured humor in between.

I had a lot of fun reading Temple of Swoon. I loved these characters together. They were both really interesting, but it felt like they brought the best out in each other, which just made it that much better for me. As someone who is a strong believer in snacks, so I was on board with Miri right away, and I didn’t really have any doubt that she would succeed. She is such a strong woman, and I was rooting for her on every page. And when she found love as well, I was all in with this story. Grab your favorite chips and candy, and settle in for a wild ride with this one!

Egalleys for Temple of Swoon were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks.