Month: March 2024

Spoiler Free Review: Raiders Of The Lost Heart by Jo Segura

Title: Raiders Of The Lost Heart

Author: Jo Segura

Pub. Date: December 5th. 2023

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Tropes: academic rivals/close proximity

Format: eARC

Publisher: Berkley

 Pages: 357

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Lara Croft meets Indiana Jones and they embark on a dig set in the Mexican jungle…but make it hot?!? 🤗 there was no passing this up, even more so when the female main character is a Mexican archeologist with a penchant for adventure. Dr. Soccorro “Corrie” Mejia has devoted her academic career to becoming world renowned expert on the ancient warrior of the Aztec Empire Chimalli. She’s invited to an all expenses paid dig to search for Chimali’s long lost remains, the warrior she believes is one of her ancestors. When she learns that the lead archeologist is none other than her academic rival Dr. Ford Matthews, Corrie is put in the position of having to rise above or miss out. Corrie is a woman of color working in a male dominated field, her work should garner her the respect she deserves. Instead Corrie is objectified by her peers which leads her to believe this is the reason why she was overlooked to lead this dig. The point of contention throughout this expedition is the fact that Dr. Ford a white cishet male with knowledge of Chimali (but not quite as much as Corrie) was offered THE once in a lifetime opportunity she has worked so hard for.

The plot thickens when we find out Corrie and Ford have actually already hooked up years before becoming the successful archeologists they are now. She can’t deny her attraction to ford or the awkwardness that comes with having to work in close proximity to him. Neither can Ford but he also has his eye on the prize, the hefty pay-out from their investor that will help with a personal situation he’s dealing with. One that is weighing heavy on his heart and mind and that is also leading to questionable/ethical decisions. What didn’t work for me? the ick feeling Ford’s actions left on me made it hard to ship this duo even though I really wanted to. Certain things he did made it hard to think he even deserved a woman like Corrie who already has the odds stacked against her in their shared field. I’m not saying he was totally irredeemable, I just wish the core of this story wasn’t based on a less than favorable move he made.

What I loved? National Treasure is one of my all time favorite adventure movies and this book does read like one with high stakes. I loved their archeological discoveries and theories of Chimali. Throwing in the artifact smuggler angle heightened the danger you’d typically get while watching Lara Croft/Indiana Jones in action. Lastly, I’d be quicker to call this friends to lovers than hate to love. I’m always going to prefer friends to lovers, the history between Corrie and Ford is a part of this story giving the reader a sense of picking up right where they left off. The steamy scenes were giving me LIFE! while also raising a brow at how well Ford’s more intimate chapters were written ☺️ I’m all for this becoming a romance/adventure series, the intrigue and spice alone would keep me flipping pages!

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Spoiler Free Review: The Warm Hands Of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

Title: The Warm Hands Of Ghosts

Author: Katherine Arden

Pub. Date: February 13th 2024

Genre: Historical Fiction/Speculative Fiction

Format: eARC

Publisher: Del Rey

 Pages: 325

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It’s 1918, Laura Iven has been honorably discharged from the Medical Corps as a highly decorated field nurse. Wounded while on the field, Laura returns to Canada where she receives word of her brother Freddie’s presumed death in combat. A box is delivered to her with his personal effects, Freddy is presumed to be dead because his body was never recovered. How then, have his belongings made it to her doorstep? Laura decides she must go back to active duty in Belgium if only to be closer to the front lines and get answers/certain proof of Freddie’s demise. What she isn’t anticipating is to be met with an alternate possibility. A man who has deserted the battlefield and is caught is then executed by the military. Did Freddy leave the battlefield? or could he still be alive? and is his fate worse than if he had been killed in the field? 

Told in dual point of view and past/present timelines between 1917 and 1918, we get Freddy’s account as he is trapped in a ditch created by one of the many explosives dropped. In this ditch is also a German soldier who has been severely wounded. Hans Winter should be his enemy but in these presumed final hours, he is a comfort. Together they help each other get out of that hole but are unsure of which way to go once out. They both can’t fathom the thought of returning to their respective front lines. In the chaos of raining shells and gunfire they meet a mysterious man who owns a hotel and has a penchant for creating music. The type of tunes that can make you forget the misery that surrounds you. An escape from the violence and senseless killings they’ve witnessed. For some soldiers the escapism being offered was too good to pass up. 

This was not the book I thought we’d get next from one of my favorite authors and yet this story will remain with me for years to come. Full transparency, I am never the one to pick up books set during WWI or WWII. That being said, it’s Katherine Arden! she can write the hell of a story and creates characters who leave their mark. If you love books with a speculative touch then this one is for you! it is slow paced within reason, every time I opened this book I felt instantly transported to the front lines and it terrified me. Heavily researched (notes and photos included in the Barnes & Noble special edition) and delivered by a skilled pen, it is haunting and feels like a story that needed to be told. In her author’s note Arden speaks of the juxtaposition of nurses in corsets while wearing gas masks while cavalry charged at tanks. It really doesn’t get any more real than that. It was the author’s note and photos of the graves she visited that hit hard and make for a powerful read. It’s a story about times of war but also hope where there’s none to be found. Grief and trauma as well as remembrance. There are feelings of repressed rage we see play out in characters like the mysterious hotel owner. The same rage Arden says can be felt to this day while walking alongside the final resting place of many French and German. A powerful read for fans of Arden who were patiently waiting for her next spellbinding tale.

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Spoiler Free Review: Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan

Title: Do Your Worst

Author: Rosie Danan

Pub. Date: November 14th 2023

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Format: eARC

Publisher: Berkley

 Pages: 317

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Two strangers meet at a Scottish bar and share a drink, their attraction is instantaneous. They each go their separate ways not thinking their paths would cross again. Riley has traveled from New Jersey to Scotland in hopes of continuing the family business of curse breaking. There’s an infamous Scottish castle with a three hundred year old curse no one has been able to break, enter Riley. “Text Book Capricorn” Clark is an archaeologist trying to bounce back and clean up his reputation from a previous project that resulted in a scandal. The last thing he’s expecting is to have to have to work with a believer of the paranormal/curse breaker. When his attempt to have her removed from the project goes left and Riley learns of his attempts, she decides to get even.

What I Loved? the interactions between curmudgeonly Clark and optimistic/determined Riley provided comedic relief and grade A banter. The little ways Riley executed her pay back and had Clark wondering if she had some type of magic made me giggle on a few occasions. There’s a ton of steam between them that Clark tries his hardest to tamper down. Riley on the other hand embraces her undeniable attraction to Clark and what we get treated to dear readers is hot as hell. From sweet tender moments of hair braiding to the not explored enough if you ask me….edging. Mhm you get a little of everything between these two, Clark being the right amount of confident I like to see in a main love interest.

Their romance isn’t without its challenges, Riley is very aware of his disregard for her profession. This is very triggering to Riley who spent her younger years as an outcast for following in her grandmother’s footsteps studying the occult. It almost seems impossible these two could ever make it work with their opposing beliefs. While it was fun seeing them make their way to a HEA, the emotional connection fell a bit short for my liking. They had the physical chemistry/opposites attract down packed but it all seemed to stay surface level. In part I believe it’s because Clark’s character was so well developed with a backstory that drives the story, he’s seeking redemption. Riley’s character got some back story with her childhood years but it wasn’t as fleshed out as Clarks. Still, I had fun reading Riley and Clark’s story. Any time spent in a Scottish castle in the mix there’s a HIGH likelihood of time well spent 😉

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