Release Day Review: Raiders of the Lost Heart by Jo Segura

 

An Indie Next and LibraryReads Pick!

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.

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What I thought about Raiders of the Lost Heart 

Two rivals head out on an archeological dig in Raiders of the Lost Heart.  Corrie is an expert in Aztec culture and wanted to lead the expedition, but her former grad school nemesis, Dr. Ford Matthews is in charge, setting the stage for a romantic comedy.

I love stories that illustrate just what it's like to be a woman in what people might call a male dominated field like STEM. It's ripe for lots of different plot devices, like stealing someone's work or sabotaging a colleague.  Corrie and Ford start out as enemies but they must put their differences aside for the sake of the dig. Of course the sparks will fly!

Ford does make some questionable moves in this enemies to lovers story.  I really didn't like some of the things he did to Corrie and I wondered why she put up with his bad behavior. Some of his circumstances do manage to bring some sympathy to his behavior though and redeem some of what he's done to Corrie. The book does a good job of illustrating just how much a man can get away with, and how much harder women need to work for less consideration.  I liked that about it.

In spite of all this, Corrie and Ford do have some sexual tension that builds as the dig continues. Their competitiveness shines throughout the story, which is realistic for characters that must rely on investors to fund their research.  I did like that we got both Corrie's and Ford's point of view because that helped to make the characters likable.

Overall, not quite as much action as I would have liked, and the romance was well presented in some cases because of the rivalry between the characters.  I liked Corrie's spirit very much in this story.  There were some uneven spots that slowed down the story. This was a new-to-me author and I will be looking forward to future titles. 

About the Author

Jo lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband and needy, but lovable, doggo Henrik (Swedish Vallhund—look it up, they’re adorable).

https://www.josegura.com/