a juicy greek archeology rom com

When librarian Danielle Guiterrez decided to travel, she found herself choosing Greece. She found a spot on a singles tour that was supposed to be for seniors, but she managed to get a ticket anyway. It had been almost a year since the love of her life had gone to Greece and disappeared. Theo Galanis was an archeologist with expertise in Greek history and the childhood best friend of Dani’s brother. But his boat had capsized, and Theo had been assumed to have died.

In the last year, Theo’s parents had moved away from their home town of Grand Rapids, and now Dani’s parents are planning on moving away. Dani had been living in their house, so she is about to be homeless. She had to do something, find some forward motion in her life, so she decided to take a trip to Greece. And when she does, she sees Theo.

It was just for a second, and she’s not entirely sure she’s right about that. But when she goes back the next day to the museum where she thought she had seen him, she sees him again. And it’s definitely him. The love of her life, not dead, not missing, standing in front of her.

His explanation is that he’d been kidnapped, being forced to search for the eye of the Minotaur. Most people believe that the Minotaur story is just a myth, and there is no real treasure associated with it. But one powerful man believes that there is a genuine treasure, and his goons have been threatening Theo to keep looking for it to protect himself and his family. They think that Theo might have an inside track, because he had written a children’s book about the Minotaur, based on stories his grandfather had told him as a child.

But when Dani shows up in Greece and finds Theo, that means that she too gest dragged into the scheme. And she will have to put in her librarian skills to help Theo find the truth about the eye of the Minotaur, and she may be his only chance to solve the mystery and get home again. But it also means that Dani’s heart is on the line. Even if she can survive the kidnapping, will she be able to survive having her heart hijacked again?

The Lust Crusade is an enjoyable blend of archeology, Greek tourism, and long-lost love. Dani and Theo are smart family friends who found themselves with unexpected feelings for each other as they grew up. Their banter is effervescent, and their spicy scenes are hot, like, really hot.

I liked this book a lot. It was so much fun to read. I did think some of the kidnap plotting was a little light, with more of the emphasis going to the romance. But it was still highly entertaining and perfect for a snowy day on the sofa or a day at the beach. This is a book to take on vacation, or perfect to enjoy on a weekend when you’re needing a vacation.

Egalleys for The Lust Crusade were provided by Berkley through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.