Segura, Jo. Raiders of the Lost Heart. New York: Berkley Romance, 2023.
ISBN-13: 978-0593547465 | $17.00 USD | 368 pages | Contemporary Romance/Adventure
Blurb
An Indie Next 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.SEE LESS
Review
4 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher from a Goodreads Giveaway and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I’m a sucker for a treasure-hunt story, and Raiders of the Lost Heart sounded right up my alley in that respect. And while I was turned off by the way most of the leads in these stories are either white and/or male, and the women that are present are generally male sexual fantasies, I like how this book pushes back against all that, in addition to commentary on how sexism, racism, and colonialism play out in the archaeology world in real life.
Corrie is a great example of this. She was sexualized from a tender age, due to “developing” early, and teased and harassed as a result. And while getting into archaeology as a career meant she did have a harder time being taken seriously, due to the rampant sexism, I love that it was inspired by reading stories of a strong female adventurer who helped her find self-confidence. But I also love that, even if people snicker about her in a sexual manner, she’s learned not to let it dim her light, and while she’s not immune to concern about its impact on her professional reputation, she balances that with positive expression of healthy sexuality in her personal life.
Ford is similar to Corrie in being very ambitious and career-driven, but like her, he has his own vulnerabilities that counteract that. In particular, there’s the way his relationships with his parents evolved in recent years, what with his dad having engaged in some shady dealings prior to his death, leaving the family broke, and his mom being diagnosed with cancer, and Ford scrambling to come up with the money to afford her increasingly expensive treatments. This leads to him taking on the position as lead on the dig, despite knowing Corrie was being considered, due to the promise of being paid enough to cover the treatments. He’s wracked with guilt about it throughout the book, because in spite of the years of animosity between him and Corrie, he does respect her, and something more has always lurked under the surface.
The romance was super sweet, and one of the better incarnations of enemies/rivals-to-lovers, because it managed to be so multilayered and nuanced. They have some serious issues that stand between them, from his deception about his motives in taking the dig to whether their differences can even be conducive to a long-term relationship. But ultimately, while they butt heads, especially at first, they respect each other’s expertise. And their chemistry was off-the-charts, and I rooted for them to figure out all their issues and end up together. I also liked the way their romantic dynamic was paired with the adventure aspect, due to the intrigue around the dig and all the mishaps and crises along the way.
The deception and whether you feel it was handled well will absolutely be divisive. I do think she kind of forgave him a little too easily, but it was also counterbalanced with the amount of guilt he feels for what he did. And the ending shows he did take steps to make the situation right, giving her her professional “flowers,” so to speak.
This was such a fun read, and I appreciate the way it tackled some serious issues without losing the overall light, humorous tone. If you love fun adventure stories, a la Indiana Jones, but want the story to be more romance-centric and diverse, I’d recommend checking this out!
Author Bio
Jo Segura lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and doggo, who vies for her attention with his sweet puppy dog eyes whenever she’s trying to write (her dog, that is… though sometimes her husband, too). Her stories feature strong, passionate heroines and draw upon aspects of her life, such as her love of good food, her Mexican heritage, and her fascination with archaeology. When she’s not writing you can find her practicing law, shaking up a mean cocktail, or sitting out on the patio doing Buzzfeed quizzes (though she doesn’t care what the chicken nugget quiz said–her favorite fruit is not banana).
Buy links
Third Place Books (signed copies)
Courtney Reads Romance 