Raiders of the Lost Heart Review

By Jo Segura

Star rating: ★★★★★

Blurb

Rival archaeologists must team up on a secret Aztec expedition, or it could leave their careers—and hearts—in ruins.

Archaeologist Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejía has a bone to pick. Literally.

It’s been Corrie’s life goal to lead an expedition deep into the Mexican jungle in search of the long-lost remains of her ancestor, Chimalli, an ancient warrior of the Aztec empire. But when she is invited to join an all-expenses-paid dig to do just that, Corrie is sure it’s too good to be true...and she’s right.

As the world-renowned expert on Chimalli, by rights Corrie should be leading the expedition, not sharing the glory with her disgustingly handsome nemesis. But Dr. Ford Matthews has been finding new ways to best her since they were in grad school. Ford certainly isn’t thrilled either—with his life in shambles, the last thing he needs is a reminder of their rocky past.

But as the dig begins, it becomes clear they’ll need to work together when they realize a thief is lurking around their campsite, forcing the pair to keep their discoveries—and lingering attraction—under wraps. With money-hungry artifact smugglers, the Mexican authorities, and the lies between them closing in, there’s only one way this all ends—explosively.

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Read if you Like:

🗡️ Rivals to lovers

🗡️ Adventure romance

🗡️ One tent

🗡️ Archiologist main characters

🗡️ Forced proximity

My Thoughts:

Thanks to PRH audio for gifting me this audiobook in order to review it. All opinions are my own.

I was interested in Raiders of the Lost Heart because I truly do love adventure stories but they usually aren't super romance-focused. This seemed like an opportunity to enjoy a type of story I wouldn't usually get to in my preferred genre.

One of my favorite things about this story was Corrie's character. She is beautiful and adventurous but also incredibly capable. She also deals with consequences of her beauty that Ford never has to face. I occasionally struggle to relate to characters that are outgoing and adventurous as I am neither of those things but I really liked Corrie and was able to relate to her in other ways.

I also like Ford and Corrie as a couple. I loved their sexual tension and how much they admired each other even when they were rivals. I liked that Ford opened up to Corrie when he wasn't willing to open up to anyone else. I think there are people who will think he didn't deserve her and I am not sure I can disagree. He made mistakes but he made them for good reasons. I think in this case if Jo Segura thinks Corrie would forgive him that's enough for me.

Raiders of the Lost Heart is an adventure in a way many romances are not, particularly contemporary romances without a paranormal aspect. I liked that it was exciting without the constant looming sense of danger I sometimes don't enjoy in romantic suspense. This felt like a treasure hunt combined with an Ali Hazelwood book with a Latina heroine. I liked that the story was able to explore racism and sexism in academia while also being exciting and fun! I highly recommend this one!

I listened to the audiobook version of Raiders of the Lost Heart and loved it! Frankie Corzo does a great job with the narration. She is the perfect choice as she has previous experience with suspenseful titles Like Mexican Gothic as well as romance titles like The Long Game. I will note that this book is dual POV and single narrator. While it didn't bother me in this case, I know that is a no go for some audiobook listeners.