I'm sorry, is it actually possible to see this title/cover combo and not want to give it a try? Is it? Coming from a bi millennial whose tastes run very stereotypically along the lines of "the entire cast of the 1999 The Mummy starring Brendan Fraser," I can tell you it's not. (In other news, having been inspired to rewatch Raiders of the Lost Ark during my reading of this novel, The Mummy the FAR superior movie in all ways. I don't even care how cute Harrison Ford's little smirk is, he's no Brendan Fraser. And that's not even getting into how much better the rest of the cast is, nor the much more even expertise split in the MCs nor the humor...I could go on, but you get it, I think.) Anyways back to me not being able to walk past this book on the "new" shelf at the library without taking it home with me. 

 

Alright, this book gets a lazy blurb...here's what Goodreads says: "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." 

 

Well, I'm falling solidly into the middle lane on this book. Some things I really enjoyed, some things fell a little short of expectation. But overall, a fairly enjoyable read. Starting with the plot, it delivered everything you'd want from a classic archeological adventure mixed with romance, but in a pretty unevenly paced way. This started pretty slowly, very interpersonal relationship focused, and it took a longgg time (or at least that's what it felt like) for the archeology pieces - digging and discovering and water rapids and a secret thief and caves behind waterfalls, etc. - to kick in. Though they were solid and fun once we got them. And the higher action items - the secret thief, a chase/knife scene, artifact smugglers and the Mexican government - were all super backloaded. Again, very fun, but a bit later in the game than I'd have liked for them to kick in. 

 

On the other hand, the romance pieces were always forefront. Corrie and Ford were *totally* obsessed with each other, if their constant internal monologues, focused on how unfairly attractive each other was, were anything to go by. Phew. It was clear the two had years of pent-up lust/interest that needed letting out. For a while at the beginning, I was wondering if we were going to get any archeology at all, or if it was gonna be all hate-pining and sniping because they were too into their own POVs to admit how they really felt. Thankful to their friend Ethan for sticking his nose in to get them past it, at least to start. (Even if how he managed it seemed a bit more meddling than I'd expected from how his character was written otherwise.) Anyhoo, as far as the romance itself: I do enjoy a “love and hate are two sides of the same coin” style. It sets the stage for fire and fireworks in a lot of ways, and this book did deliver there. Lots of (verbal) fights, lots of tension (sexual and otherwise), and when we got to it, some solid spice.     

 

I really liked the flip-script from the original (and more common) storyline, with Corrie being more of the adventurous Lara Croft type and Ford being a more follow-the-rules, buttoned-up character. And I was here for Corrie's confidence in her body and outward comfort/owning of her sexual life/preferences. It was refreshing and also I enjoyed how discomfited it made Ford. Lolz. However, I did really get annoyed with Ford as such a self-focused and unaware person. It's clearly a safety/comfort thing that middle class cis white men have, so in that respect Segura nailed the characterization. And as he got deeper into his mistakes and relationship with Corrie, he did spend a lot of time apologizing and learning hard lessons and working on being better, but you do kinda wish for more for Corrie than to have to be the person to walk him through shit that isn't her issue (other than her apparently unavoidable attraction to the man). Ah well, and isn't that an accurate reflection of life...  

 

The last thing I'm going to say is that I think some of the writing could have been tightened up a bit, with more time spent on the details in what I think was seen as filler text. There was so much seesawing with the “I am out of touch with him and never think about him and he’s been disappeared for two years” and the “he a good guy and my bestie and I have all these feels about him and can’t stop thinking about him” that bounce back and forth *so* fast for whatever is most convenient for the dialogue and story. And this wasn't just between Corrie and Ford, but between Corrie and Ethan/Ford and Ethan as well. Like, a decision needed to be made about how well they knew each other, how close they were, and stuck with. This is kind of an insignificant thing if done right, but the repetitive back and forth in the indecision in the narrative made the writing feel sloppy, which does kind of suck for the reader. Solid dialogue though, which I definitely appreciated.     

 

Overall, as I said to start, color me entertained, if not blown away, by this romance. Shout out to the Author's Note, where Segura mentions that this was born from a tweet she sent, wishing that there were more romcoms about archeologists. I agree, honestly, and love that she inspired herself to write the romance she wished to read. Slow clap for that energy.  

 

“Because being with her, even for a moment, was worth any and all devastation that might follow.”