Review by Veronica


Temple of Swoon is a fabulous, fun adventure rom-com that I could not put down.
Favourite Quote:
Everything else ceased to exist. Those sapphire eyes stared at him with concern, silencing the world around him. God, she was beautiful. More beautiful than he’d realized before. Like a painting in a museum that appears unassuming at first, but when you get up close, you notice all its nuances and specialness and suddenly, you can’t look away. And the longer you stare at it, the more you see.
Book 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 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…
Review:
I was a bit nervous starting this book because I didn’t necessarily love the previous book the author had written. It was a little boring and lacked that fun adventure component I hoped it would have. I am thrilled to say that this book is a hoot and a half and was everything I wanted the first book to be. I adored the story and its characters. This book really is bursting with fun, quirky adventure vibes. The author leaned hard into that adventure rom-com element, and I am so glad that she did. Miri is the best and is what made this book shine in my eyes. She is a quirky, nerdy goofball of a character, and her enthusiasm is just contagious. I instantly fell in love with her the moment she appeared on the page with her backpack full of snacks. Between Rafa sabotaging the search, an enemy team trying to get to the lost city first, and just the prevails and trails of exploring the jungle, Miri’s journey is not a smooth or boring one.
The story is perfectly paced, and I loved that it was bursting with fun and chaotic shenanigans that just had me chuckling. Miri is just one of those characters that chaos seems to follow. She wants to prove that she is just as badass and smart as Corrie (the MC from the first book). Miri’s character is full of a lot of self-doubt and doesn’t believe that if she were to be her true self, she would be able to become a recognized archaeologist. It was great watching Miri’s character realize that she doesn’t have to pretend to be someone else to be happy or successful. Rafa was the perfect match for Miri’s character. It was pretty obvious that he was absolutely smitten right from the first meet-cute. Miri’s corny sense of humour and her tendency to babble just have his heart pitter-pattering a little faster. Rafa cannot believe that Miri doesn’t see how fabulous, badass, and amazing she is. I enjoyed Rafa’s character, who struggles and suffers quite a bit in this book, which I just loved. He’s been tasked with trying to get Miri to quit her search for the lost city, but he likes Miri and wants her to succeed. He finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I thoroughly enjoyed that inner struggle Rafa found himself in.
The romance is this wonderful blend of sweet and spicy. These two are meant for each other. Both characters are smitten with each other right from the moment they meet. That instant attraction is both physical and emotional. Rafa definitely falls harder in this book, and that is because he just loves Miri’s quirkiness. He is like a moth drawn to the light; he can’t stay away from her. Overall, I really enjoyed these two as a couple. Everything in their relationship journey was well balanced out. You have the spicy bits, the fun laugh-out-loud bits, and the emotional quieter bits. All these different bits worked together to create a relationship that felt real and possessed some depth.
Temple of Swoon is a laugh-out-loud adventure rom-com, and I would recommend it to anyone who needs a pick-me-up romance.
Thank you, Berkeley Publishing, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.